Sri Lanka troops rescue ex-PM as houses torched in deadly night of unrest

Mahinda Rajapaksa rescued in pre-dawn military operation after day of protests in which five people were killed

Sri Lankan troops have conducted a dramatic pre-dawn operation to rescue Mahinda Rajapaksa - who resigned as prime minister on Monday - firing warning shots in the air to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters who had stormed his official residence in Colombo.

Five people were killed and nearly 200 wounded on Monday in the worst violence in weeks of protests over an unprecedented economic crisis. Demonstrations continued on Tuesday as hundreds of anti-government protesters defied a nationwide curfew, gathering in the streets of Colombo and shouting slogans outside the office of the president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.