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Two soldiers stand next to a damaged vehicle near the home of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the capital Colombo
Photo: ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency after unrest in the capital.
The police and military presence on the streets of the South Asian island nation had previously been increased.
The step serves public safety, the protection of order and the security of supply, according to a statement in the official gazette late in the evening.
Hundreds of people marched to the head of state's house on Thursday evening and demanded his resignation.
The reason for the protests is the economic crisis in the country of 22 million people.
The demonstrators tried to storm the President's house.
They set fire to two military buses and a police car, attacked officers with bricks and blocked a main road into Colombo with burning tires.
Security forces fired into the crowd and used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protesters.
Police arrested 53 people on Friday before the state of emergency was announced and imposed a curfew.
Suffering from severe shortages of essential goods, soaring prices and crippling power outages, Sri Lanka is experiencing the most painful economic downturn since independence in 1948. Many fear the country will default on its debt.
The island state in the Indian Ocean is struggling with a sharp devaluation of its national currency, which is making important imports such as food, medicine and fuel even more expensive.
The supply shortages have led to sporadic violence among residents.
Rajapaksa has turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which he hopes will help.
Discussions have also been started with international banks and other lenders about loan payments.
jso/AFP/Reuters
