China issues Sri Lanka travel alert after deadly Easter blasts
- Chinese embassy warns visitors that it will not be able to offer help if they insist on going to the South Asian country
China has warned its citizens not to travel to Sri Lanka after a series of explosions on Easter Sunday resulted in the deaths of 310 people, including one Chinese national.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese embassy to Sri Lanka remind Chinese nationals not to travel to Sri Lanka in the near term,” a statement posted on the embassy’s website read.
“Those already here, please step up safety precautions, try to stay away from crowded areas and pay attention to safety reminders by the embassy and local media to ensure personal safety.”
The embassy warned it would not be able to help Chinese citizens if they insisted on visiting Sri Lanka and that individuals would need to bear the financial cost of any assistance required.
“In view of the current situation in Sri Lanka, if Chinese citizens insist on going after the reminder is issued, they will bring themselves huge security risks and make it difficult for the embassy to provide effective assistance,” it said. “The resulting costs will be shouldered by the individuals.”
Five Chinese citizens were wounded in the blasts and five are missing. They include eight oceanology scientists who were to conduct a study in the Indian Ocean.