Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa seen near airport, is he fleeing the country?

Embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been flown to an airbase near Sri Lanka's main international airport, said AFP citing officials. This has raised speculation that Rajapkasa would flee abroad in the wake of unprecedented public protests that have seen his official residence being ransacked by Sri Lankan people.

BBC quoted Sri Lankan parliament Speaker earlier to say that Rajapaksa had already fled the island nation and is now in a 'nearby' country.

However, within hours of his statement to BBC, the parliament speaker said that he made 'mistake' in the statement and that Rajapaksa was in the country. He made the clarification to Indian news agency ANI.

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Sri Lanka is facing a crippling economic crisis and acute fuel shortage that have severely disrupted people's lives. The angry public has been demanding resignation of the president.

On Saturday (July 9), tens of thousands of Sri Lankans overran the compound of presidential palace in capital Colombo. President Rajapaksa fled the palace shortly before it was overrun. He was under naval protection.

It has been announced that he will resign on Wednesday (July 13).

The 73-year-old leader had taken refuge at a navy facility, a top defence official told AFP, before being brought to the Katunayake airbase -- which shares a perimeter fence with the country's main Bandaranaike International airport.

"He and his entourage were flown back to Colombo in two Bell 412 choppers," he added.

There was no official word from the president's office about his whereabouts, but several local media reports speculated he was set to leave for Dubai later Monday.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said Rajapaksa had officially informed him of his intention to resign, without specifying a date.

(With inputs from agencies)