A nationwide state of emergency has been declared by the prime minister's office and a curfew has been imposed in the Western Province in Sri Lanka
Protesters have now taken over the country's national TV broadcaster, Rupavahini.
Mr Rajapaksa left the country in a military jet bound for the Maldives with his wife and two bodyguards. Sri Lankan lawmakers agreed to elect a new president next week but have struggled to decide on the makeup of a new government to lift the bankrupt country out of economic and political collapse.
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