Foreign ministry advises Swiss citizens not to travel to Sri Lanka
Candles are lit in front of the portraits of the victims of blasts as locals and their relatives pay respects and say prayers during a religious ceremony at Katuwapitiya, about 42 km from Colombo, Sri Lanka, on April 28, 2019.
Keystone / M.a. Pushpa Kumara
The Swiss foreign ministry has advised Swiss citizens not to travel to Sri Lanka unless their journey is essential, following the deadly Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed over 250 people and injured hundreds.
This content was published on
2 minutes
RTS/EDA/sb
“The security situation is confusing and its evolution uncertain,” the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said in an updated online travel advisoryExternal link on Saturday.
Until the situation is clarified, it is not advisable to travel to Sri Lanka for holidays or other non-essential trips, the department added.
External Content
#Sri_LankaExternal link: tant que la situation n'est pas clarifiée, il est déconseillé de se rendre au Sri Lanka pour des voyages touristiques et tout autre voyage qui ne présente pas un caractère d'urgence.https://t.co/ollYRbw5WPExternal link
The Swiss tour operator Hotelplan has decided to immediately cancel all planned trips to the island leaving Switzerland up to May 31. It is no longer taking reservations for Sri Lanka until further notice.
Sri Lanka has been on high alert since the bomb attacks on Easter Sunday, with nearly 10,000 soldiers deployed across the island to carry out searches and hunt down members of two local Islamist groups believed to have carried out the attack.
The government has said that the bomb attacks on three churches and four hotels, most of which were in the capital Colombo, were carried out by nine well-educated Sri Lankans, eight of whom have been identified.
Authorities have detained over 100 people since the bombings in three churches and four hotels, most of which were in the capital Colombo.
Most of the victims were Sri Lankans, although authorities said at least 40 foreigners were also killed, many of them tourists sitting down to breakfast at hotels when the bombers struck. They included two Swiss nationals as well as British, US, Australian, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese citizens.
The SonntagsBlick newspaper reported on Sunday that Switzerland plans to send two police investigators to support the Sri Lankan authorities.
“This presence simplifies the exchange of information with the police and tasks such as the identification or repatriation of corpses,” a federal police spokesman explained. Federal police took a similar approach after the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015 and Nice in 2016.
This content was published on
The cantonal parliament of Vaud has approved a loan of CHF9.5 million ($11.5 million) for Château de Chillon, the most-visited monument in Switzerland.
Swiss party president Thierry Burkart to step down in October
This content was published on
Thierry Burkart, president of the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party, wants to hand over the presidency in October, around two years before the next national elections.
Climate Alliance presents action plan on 20th anniversary
This content was published on
The Swiss Climate Alliance has presented an action plan showing how Switzerland could make a success of the energy transition and achieve a net zero balance within ten years.
Swiss business group expects export slump after strong start to year
This content was published on
The Swiss economy was still robust in the first quarter of 2025 but is coming under increasing pressure, says the Swiss business federation, economiesuisse.
Five arrested in Switzerland in human-trafficking raid
This content was published on
Law enforcement authorities in Switzerland and Romania have busted a human trafficking ring. They arrested a total of 17 suspects.
OECD significantly lowers Swiss GDP forecast due to Trump
This content was published on
The Swiss economy is likely to grow more slowly in 2025 and 2026 than previously assumed, according to the OECD economic organisation.
UBS economists more confident about Swiss economy in 2025
This content was published on
UBS economists have revised upwards their estimates of Swiss GDP growth for the current year. However, they are more pessimistic for next year, due to the spectre of US tariffs.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Two Swiss confirmed dead in Sri Lanka bombings
This content was published on
Two Swiss citizens, one of them a Swiss-Sri Lankan dual national, were killed in bombings in Colombo on Sunday, the Swiss foreign ministry has confirmed.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.