Colombo, July 9: Hours after storming into Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's house, angry protesters on Saturday evening broke into the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and set it on fire.
This comes amid an unprecedented economic crisis that has brought the country to its knees.
"Protesters have broken into the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and have set it on fire," his office said in a statement.
The incident comes hours after Wickremesinghe said he was resigning after party leaders in parliament demanded both he and president Gotabaya Rajapaksa step down.
Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters stormed the residence of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. After storming the gates of the presidential palace, hundreds of people could be seen in live broadcasts on social media walking through its rooms, with some among the boisterous crowd jumping into the compound's pool, AFP reported.
Some were seen laughing and lounging in the stately bedrooms of the residence, with one pulling out what he claimed was a pair of the president's underwear.
Not long earlier, troops guarding the residence fired in the air to hold the crowd back until Rajapaksa was safely removed.
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