Czechs in Sri Lanka are staying away from the riots

There are 49 Czechs in Sri Lanka who have used the system of voluntary registration for Czech citizens travelling abroad (DROZD), according to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and most of them are staying in resorts away from the riots. The island nation has seen massive protests in recent days against the country's worst economic crisis in seven decades, as it has struggled to pay for imports of fuel, food and medicine, and people face rising inflation and power outages.

The Ministry has sent Czech citizens staying in Sri Lanka a warning about the current situation and strongly recommends avoiding the demonstrations. Travel to Sri Lanka is still subject to an earlier warning from the ministry related to the country's economic crisis. So far no Czech citizens have contacted the embassy in Delhi, which is closely monitoring the situation.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his residence in Colombo on Saturday minutes before thousands of angry protesters stormed the building demanding his resignation. At least 34 people were injured in the clashes.