According to Sri Lankan media, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived in the capital of the Maldives, Male, at around 3 am local time. The president was accompanied by five family members and three staff.

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flew out of the country to the Maldives early Wednesday before stepping down from his post. He had promised to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a "peaceful transition of power", after fleeing his official residence in Colombo just before thousands of protesters overran it.