Sri Lanka President Gotabaya flees as protesters surround home

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday reportedly fled his official residence as protesters surrounded the house in the capital city of Colombo. The developments were reported just shortly after the Sri Lankan Police fired tear gas shells at protesters in the commercial capital to control thousands gathered for one of the largest anti-government marches in the crisis-hit country this year.

Thousands of protesters packed in buses, trains and trucks from across the island nation took to the streets of Colombo to demonstrate against the government for its failure to protect them from economic ruin. Demonstrators carried black and national flags and shouted "Gota go home," using a common shortened version of the president's name, reports Hindustan Times.

They marched towards a police and military security cordon surrounding key buildings, including the President's House and Finance Ministry, near Colombo's scenic coastline.

Demonstrators at the oceanfront protest site included civil rights activists, religious leaders, artists and others, from across the South Asian island.

With a population of 22 million, Sri Lanka has been shaken to its core in the aftermath of a severe foreign exchange shortage that plunged the nation into its worst financial crises in seven decades.

Sri Lanka is in the worst tailspin of its independent history, with inflation hitting 70 per cent. With a never-ending struggle over essential imports like fuel, food and medicine, many have been blaming President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the devastation, demanding his resignation.