Sri Lanka holds a "national mourning period" for the victims of the disaster.

The death toll from the attacks on churches and hotels has now risen to 310, with 500 people injured, police said.

At 8:30 this morning, a moment of silence fell across Sri Lanka, reflecting the moment the first of eight bombs exploded. Flags were lowered to half-mast, and many people wept and bowed their heads in reverence.

A mass funeral for about 30 victims was also held at St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo, north of the capital Colombo, one of the locations bombed on Sunday.

The Sri Lankan government claims that the local Muslim group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) was behind the deadly attack. However, neither the NTJ nor any other group has claimed responsibility for Sunday's bombing.

Police have now arrested 40 suspects in connection with the attacks. Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene told Parliament on Tuesday that "preliminary investigations" indicate that the series of eight bombings was in retaliation for the deadly attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March of this year.

Nga Nguyen