Sri Lanka's President flees after earlier being blocked, protesters storm prime minister's office, state of emergency declared. Follow live updates.
Demonstrators celebrate after entering the building of the office of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 13.
Over the past decade, the Sri Lankan government has borrowed vast sums of money from foreign lenders to fund public services. This borrowing spree has coincided with a series of hammer blows to the Sri Lankan economy, from both natural disasters -- such as heavy monsoons -- to man-made catastrophes, including a government ban on chemical fertilizers that decimated farmers' harvests.
Over the weekend tens of thousands of protesters massed outside the president's office and residence before breaking through security cordons. Dramatic footage showed protesters But he fled the country before stepping down officially. He then appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to take over the role of president.The protesters want the entire government to resign, and there is no sign of unrest halting unless that happens.
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