Sri Lanka blocked on Monday, May 13, 2019, access to Facebook and WhatsApp after a posting sparked anti-Muslim riots across several towns in the latest fallout from the Easter Sunday attacks.

Several dozen people threw stones at mosques and Christian groups attacked Muslim-owned shops in the northwestern town of Chilaw on Sunday in anger at a Facebook post by a shopkeeper, police said.

Security forces fired into the air to disperse mobs, but the violence spread to nearby towns where Muslim businesses were also attacked.

A night curfew in Chilaw and nearby areas was relaxed on Monday, police said, but the social media ban was brought in to prevent incitement to violence.

The April 21 attacks by suicide bombers on three hotels and three churches left 258 dead and is thought to be the reason behind the recent wave of violence in Sri Lanka. 

Also read: Photos: Police reveal 'mastermind' of Sri Lanka's attacks 

'Mastermind' of Sri Lanka attacks killed in attack on Shangri-La hotel in Colombo

Face covering 'niqab' banned in Sri Lanka after Easter bloodshed