Colombo

Sri Lanka's national broadcaster SLRC, known as Jathika Rupavahini on Wednesday suspended live telecast as protestors surrounded its premises.

The move came amid Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declaring a state of emergency in the island nation.

Protests intensified in Sri Lanka following President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleeing the country for the Maldives on Wednesday morning.

He was later scheduled to go to Singapore after local people and Lankan expatriates protested outside Maldives President Ibrahim Solih’s house urging him to send Rajapaksa back to Sri Lanka.

Military personnel used tear gas shells to disperse protestors who scaled the wall to enter the Sri Lankan PM's residence in Colombo.

Wickremesinghe was later appointed as the interim President by the Speaker.

73-year-old Gotabaya Rajapaksa had gone into hiding after crowds of protestors stormed his residence on July 9.

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The country is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is in the throes of its worst economic crisis since independence.