Protesters stormed the Sri Lankan prime minister’s office when police used tear gas on the crowd.
A nationwide state of emergency has been declared by the prime minister’s office and a curfew has been imposed in the Western province of Sri Lanka.
President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country after months of turmoil culminated in protesters converging on the presidential palace. He has agreed to resign.
In recent days, protesters have occupied several government buildings demanding the resignation of their top leaders, expressing their anger over the three-month economic crisis.
People have flocked to the presidential palace – swimming in the pooladmiring the paintings and lounging on beds piled high with pillows.
On Wednesday, groups could be seen going through the wall and into the office as the crowd shouted support, cheered them on and waved Sri Lankan flags.
Police used tear gas to try to disperse the crowd without success and more and more people marched down the lane and towards the office.
Bhasura Wickremesinghe, a 24-year-old marine electrical engineering student who was traveling with friends, said the president’s flight from the country was an “act of timidity”.
Read more: What is happening in Sri Lanka?
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Sky News explains what will happen in Sri Lanka now that the prime minister and president have agreed to resign
“I don’t celebrate. There’s no point in celebrating. We have nothing in this country at the moment.”
Mr. Rajapaksa left the country on a military plane to the Maldives with his wife and two bodyguards.
Protesters have vowed to occupy official buildings until the top leaders are gone.
Sri Lankan lawmakers have agreed to elect a new president next week but have struggled to decide on a new government to lift the bankrupt country out of economic and political collapse.
Pic: Ap
Photo: AP
The new president will serve the remainder of Mr Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024, and is likely to appoint a new prime minister, who will then have to be approved by parliament.
But promises to resign have not ended the crisis.
At one point, protesters even set fire to the prime minister’s private house.
The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has caused severe food and fuel shortages that have resulted in people queuing for hours to buy supplies.
