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Atlanta men blocks away from bombings in Sri Lanka

Four Atlanta men were traveling in Sri Lanka when a series of suicide bombs went off killing nearly 300 people.

ATLANTA — Four men from Atlanta are safely out of Colombo, Sri Lanka Monday morning after a series of suicide bombings there on Easter Sunday.

Sri Lanka government officials are blaming a militant group for at least nine bombs that exploded at churches and luxury hotels. The bombing killed at least 290 people and injured close to 500 more. Americans are among the dead.

Bruce Griffith, his partner Felix Solaun, and friends Keith Spain and Bill McCrary had planned to travel around Sri Lanka before heading to the Maldives, but shortly after arriving at their hotel in Colombo, the bombs went off.

'We are safe, but obviously concerned': Metro Atlanta man in Sri Lanka as blasts erupt

The men were sleeping at the time the bombs went off, but when they woke up for breakfast, the General Manager of the hotel told them what had happened. He instructed them not to leave the hotel. They were staying at a boutique hotel called UGA Residence, so they were not targeted, however they were within blocks of the bombs.

The government put Sri Lanka on an island-wide curfew and shut down social media to prevent the spread of disinformation.

The men have been able to get in touch with family and friends through text to let them know they’re safe.

'We pray for the peace of their families': Atlanta Tamil Church remembers lives lost in Sri Lanka

Monday morning, they said the curfew lifted, and they were able to drive out of capital city. They’re driving to another city, Anuradhapra, which is about four hours away. Griffith said he did not see any of the destruction as they left.

They plan to continue traveling around Sri Lanka, but instead of staying at the Shangri-La like they had booked, they are sticking to smaller, inconspicuous hotels and keeping away from overly tourist areas.

“We are safe but obviously concerned for the other people here in Colombo that have been affected by this awful occurrence,” Griffith said.

At last check, Griffith said they made it safely to their new hotel.

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