Some some scaled the walls, as the crowd roared its support and tossed water bottles to those charging in. Dozens were seen inside the office and standing on a rooftop terrace, waving Sri Lanka's flag, with the crowd demanding both men step down in the face of an economic crisis.
Meanwhile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, meanwhile, told Parliament speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena that he will submit his resignation later today. The Speaker appealed for calm while a new leadership structure is chosen. "I appeal to the public to have confidence in the parliamentary process... be peaceful," he said.
PROTESTERS ENTER PM'S OFFICE | VIDEOS
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Meanwhile, as the protests escalated outside the prime minister's compound, his office imposed a state of emergency that gives broader powers to the military and police and declared an immediate curfew in the western province that includes Colombo.
Sri Lanka on Wednesday declared a state of emergency as angry protesters stormed the prime minister's office in Colombo, hours after president Gotabaya Rajapksa fled to the Maldives on a military jet, amid the country's worst economic crisis in decades.
"We must end this fascist threat to democracy. We can't allow the destruction of state property. The President’s Office, the President’s Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s official residence must be returned to proper custody," he said.
"Those who are in my office want to stop me from discharging my responsibilities as acting president. We can't let them tear up our Constitution. We can’t allow fascists to take over. Some mainstream politicians too seem to be supporting these extremists. That is why I declared a nationwide emergency and a curfew," Wickremesinghe said.
Wickremesinghe said he has instructed the security forces to enforce the emergency and curfew to bring normalcy to the ground.
