A new explosion has taken place in Sri Lanka’s capital of Colombo, Reuters reported, citing witnesses.

Axar.az reports citing Reuters.

According to preliminary data, an explosives-filled van, parked outside a church, exploded while experts were trying to defuse it. "The van exploded when the bomb defusing unit of the STF (Special Task Force) and air force tried to diffuse the bomb," the witness said as cited by the news agency.

Sri Lanka’s Adaderana news portal said earlier that on Monday, Colombo’s police had found 87 explosive detonators at a private bus station in the Pettah neighborhood. On Sunday night, Sri Lanka’s Air Force servicemen detected and defused an improvised explosive device in close proximity to Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport.

On April 21, a series of terrorist attacks, unprecedented in the country’s history, took place in Sri Lanka. A total of eight explosions occurred in high-end hotels and churches in the cities of Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa during Easter services. According to recent data, the attacks claimed 290 lives, including more than 30 foreign nationals. The country’s authorities have confirmed that the explosions were carried out by suicide bombers who were Sri Lankan nationals.