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Sri Lanka Prez flees as protestors capture Presidential Palace; seen in swimming pool & rooms

A Facebook livestream from the President’s House also showed hundreds of people, packing themselves into rooms & corridors and shouting slogans against Rajapaksa.

New Delhi: The demonstrations and stir in Sri Lanka took an ugly turn on Saturday as thousands of protesters stormed into the Presidential Palace and thronged the compound while many were seen taking dip in the palace’s swimming pool.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence in Colombo, moments after protestors entered the President’s premises in hordes and went on a rampage.

The scale of protests over economic meltdown in Sri Lanka today reached an unprecedented level as protestors captured the Presidential palace. In pictures viral on social media, the protestors can be seen using President’s swimming pool, squatting in sofas and trespassing into kitchen & other areas.

Protestors could be seen holding Sri Lankan flags & helmets while entering the premises. The security deployment proved ineffectual as people could be seen all around and inside the President residence.

A Facebook livestream from the President’s House also showed hundreds of people, packing themselves into rooms & corridors and shouting slogans against Rajapaksa. Hundreds could also be seen milled on the grounds outside the palatial building.

Military personnel & police personnel who secure the premises were unable to hold back the crowd as they chanted slogans demanding exit of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has called an emergency meet of parties to discuss the situation and come with a swift resolution.

Experts say that this is the manifestation of months of mounting public anger over country’s worst economic crisis in decades.