Protestors breach barriers and entered the President's House

News Agencies reported that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had fled the President's House after large crowds surrounded the official residence of the President.

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka lifted a curfew Saturday already defied by thousands of people overnight, ahead of a mass rally planned for later in the day demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation.

Huge crowds have already poured into the capital Colombo for the demonstration, the latest expression of unrest sparked by the country's unprecedented economic crisis.

Police withdrew the stay-home order issued the previous evening after opposition parties, rights activists and the bar association threatened to sue the police chief.

Thousands of anti-government protesters ignored the curfew and even forced railway authorities to operate trains to take them to Colombo for Saturday's rally, officials said. (AFP/NDTV)