Colombo, April 21 -- Sri Lanka declared a nationwide curfew after suicide bombers carried out a string of well-planned deadly explosions, mostly in Colombo, on Easter Sunday leaving 192 dead and 470 injured in the island's bloodiest day since the civil war ended a decade ago.

Starting around 8.30 a.m. when the first blast ripped apart the St Anthony's Shrine at Kochchikade here during Easter Mass, five more powerful explosions followed, hitting a total of three luxury hotels in Colombo and also St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, 30 km from here, and the Zion Church in the eastern district of Batticaloa, 250 km east of Colombo.

Just as authorities thought they had the situation under control, another blast went off in the afternoon near a...