Video aired on Sri Lankan television showed protesters entering the presidential compound – Rajapaksa’s office and residence in the commercial capital – after breaking through security cordons set up by police.
At least 31 people, including two policemen, were injured in the protests and are receiving treatment, according to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL). Two of the injured are in critical condition, according to police.
Rajapaksa is not at the site and has been moved elsewhere, security officials told CNN. It is not clear how many security personnel are present at the site.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has called an emergency meeting of party leaders to discuss the current situation and reach a solution, his office said on Saturday.
The South Asian nation of 22 million people is suffering its worst financial crisis in recent history, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine and fuel.
A curfew imposed earlier in several police stations in Sri Lanka’s western province was lifted on Saturday. Several politicians and Sri Lanka’s bar association have called the curfew “illegal”, saying there have been no cases of violence to justify the measure.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in recent months calling for the country’s leaders to resign over allegations of economic mismanagement.
In several major cities, including Colombo, hundreds have been forced to queue for hours to buy fuel, sometimes clashing with police and the military as they wait.
Schools are closed and fuel is limited to essential services. Patients cannot travel to hospitals due to fuel shortages and food prices are rising.
The frequency of trains has been reduced, forcing passengers to cram into compartments and even sit precariously on top of them as they commute to work.
Wickremesinghe said the country has started talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revive the country’s economy.
He told parliament this week that negotiations with the IMF had been “difficult” because he entered the discussion as a “bankrupt” country rather than a developing one.
CNN’s Irene Nasser contributed to this report.
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