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Father Ivan, an elderly priest who runs Catholic schools in Colombo, told CNN’s Ivan Watson that he hasn’t seen a mass funeral like the one at St. Sebastian’s Church since 1984, shortly after the outbreak of the country’s bloody civil war.

More than 100 people died during Easter services at the church, which sits at the heart of a close-knit Catholic community near the city of Negombo, one of few areas in the country where Christians are a majority. Everyone in the community knew at least one person killed or injured, witnesses told CNN’s James Griffiths.

CCTV footage provided to CNN of the moments before the attack showed a packed service, with people both inside and outside the church doors listening in. A priest said that the whole church was covered in dust and debris by the blast, which left a scene like a “disaster zone” after it cleared.

Several people interviewed by CNN said the attack seemed to come from nowhere, without any rise in inter-communal tensions or threats against Catholics. The Sri Lankan government has admitted to failing to act on multiple intelligence warnings, however.

Following the blast at the church on Sunday, much of the interior was heavily damaged, as was the church’s red tile roof. Shards of glass could be seen scattered around the church grounds, as workers carried out pews stained with the blood of parishioners and piled up clothes and shoes of the wounded and dead.