Victims of the Sri Lanka suicide bombings: entire families from around the world among the hundreds killed in Easter Sunday terror attack
- Attackers targeted prominent churches and luxury hotels – places where entire families were worshipping or holidaying together. Here’s just some of the details about the many victims
At least 290 people were killed in the Easter Sunday bombings across Sri Lanka, with at least 31 of those being foreigners. The attackers targeted prominent churches and luxury hotels – places where entire families were worshipping or holidaying together.
Here are some details of the victims from Sunday’s devastating events.
Sri Lanka
But among them was Dileep Roshan, 37, a carpenter who left behind a wife and daughter, his family told Associated Press.
“His wife and daughter won’t be able to do much now because he is gone,” his older brother, Sanjeevani Roshan, said. “The real question is what will happen to their future.”
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United Kingdom
Sri Lanka’s top diplomat in Britain said authorities know of eight British nationals killed in the bombings.
Among them were lawyer Anita Nicholson, son Alex Nicholson and daughter Annabel Nicholson, her husband, Ben Nicholson, confirmed in a statement.
Nicholson said the family was on holiday, sitting at the table of the restaurant of the Shangri-La Hotel when they were killed.
“The holiday we had just enjoyed was a testament to Anita’s enjoyment of travel and providing a rich and colourful life for our family, and especially our children,” he said.
India
Indian officials say eight Indians died in the attacks.
Denmark
However, spokesman Jesper Stubkier gave no details in an emailed response to a query on the matter and said the company had no further comment.
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Spain
Spain’s foreign ministry said a Spanish man and woman were killed but did not provide further details. The mayor of Pontecesures in northwest Spain, Juan Manuel Vidal, told Radio Galega he knew the local pair and they were in their 30s, according to a report by Spanish private news agency Europa Press.
Australia
Manik Suriaaratchi and her 10-year-old daughter Alexendria were attending a church service in Negombo when they died.
Husband Sudesh Kolonne said he was outside the church when the bomb went off.
“I heard a huge noise and I jumped into the church and I saw that my wife and my daughter were on the floor,” he told broadcaster ABC .
“I just saw my daughter on the floor and I tried to lift her up … she was already dead … exactly the same … next my wife is there.”
Suriaaratchi was the founder and managing director of Omega Global, a company that helps international brands into new countries and regional locations.
Alexendria was born in Melbourne and now a grade five pupil at an international school in the capital.
Kolonne said she was a “very good kid” who “loved music, loved to dance”.
Their family moved to Sri Lanka in 2014 to look after a relative, and were regular attendees at the St Sebastian Catholic church north of Colombo.
The fun begins. Love these work trips. 24 hours of flying. See you soon Sri Lanka!
United States
Fifth-grader Kieran Shafritz de Zoysa, spending a year in Sri Lanka on leave from the private Sidwell Friends School in Washington, was among those killed, the school said in an email to parents, according to The Washington Post.
The email said: “Kieran was passionate about learning, he adored his friends, and he was incredibly excited about returning to Sidwell Friends this coming school year.”
Dieter Kowalski, who lived in Denver and worked for international education company Pearson, died in the blasts soon after he arrived at his hotel for a business trip, the company and his family said.
A Friday Facebook post from Kowalski read: “And the fun begins. Love these work trips. 24 hours of flying. See you soon Sri Lanka!”
Switzerland
The foreign ministry said a Swiss national, a Swiss dual national and a non-Swiss member of the same family were killed. It did not identify the second country or give other details on the victims.
Two Chinese nationals reported dead in Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings that killed scores of people, but Hong Kong tour groups and flight crews are safe
China
Two mainland Chinese national were among the dead, according to state-run newspaper China Daily.
The deaths were confirmed after the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka had earlier said four Chinese nationals were hospitalised and in a stable condition, suffering from undisclosed injuries sustained in the explosions in Colombo.
Other nations
The Netherlands, Japan and Portugal have confirmed their nationals were among the dead.
Additional reporting by The Guardian
