COLOMBO, July 13, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Crisis-hit Sri Lanka declared an

indefinite nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday, hours after President
Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, the prime minister's office said.

"Since the president is out of the country, an emergency has been declared to
deal with the situation in the country," Dinouk Colombage, spokesman for
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, told AFP.

Police said they were also imposing an indefinite curfew across the Western
Province, which includes the capital Colombo, to contain growing protests
after Rajapaksa flew to the Maldives in a military aircraft.

Thousands of demonstrators had mobbed the premier's office, prompting police
to fire tear gas to hold them back from overrunning the compound.

"There are ongoing protests outside the prime minister's office in Colombo
and we need the curfew to contain the situation," a senior police officer
told AFP.

He said they were under orders to crack down against demonstrators disrupting
the functioning of the state.

Tens of thousands of men and women overran Rajapaksa's official residence on
Saturday, forcing him to escape to a military base and later flee the
country.

Officials said he had promised to resign on Wednesday.