6 Indians among 290 killed in Sri Lanka blasts
At least six Indians have been killed in a string of eight powerful blasts, including suicide attacks, which struck three churches and luxury hotels frequented by foreigners in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, officials said today. The blasts targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and another church in the eastern town of Batticaloa.
Church blasts occurred as Easter Sunday mass were in progress
The explosions at these three churches occurred at around 8.45 a.m. (IST) as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress. Three blasts were reported from the five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand, and the Kingsbury. The foreigners and locals, who were injured in the hotel bomb blasts, were then admitted to the Colombo General Hospital, a government hospital.
Swaraj identified two more individuals killed in the blasts
The police said today that at least six Indian nationals have been reported among the foreigners who died in the blasts. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today identified two more individuals killed in the blasts yesterday. "We sadly confirm the deaths of the following two individuals in the blasts yesterday, K G Hanumantharayappa and M Rangappa," Swaraj retweeted Indian High Commission in Colombo's tweet.
Indian High Commission in Colombo tweets info, Swaraj retweets it
Kerala Chief Minister also identified a native among those killed
Yesterday, Swaraj, in a series of tweets, identified the other three Indians as Lakshmi, Narayan Chandrashekhar, and Ramesh. "Indian High Commission in Colombo has conveyed that National Hospital has informed them about the death of three Indian nationals," she said in a tweet. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan yesterday identified a Keralite, P S Rasina (58), among those killed in the deadly bomb blasts.
No group has claimed responsibility for yesterday's attacks
Around 500 people, including Indians, were injured in the blasts - one of the deadliest attacks in the country's history that shattered a decade of peace since the end of the brutal civil war with the LTTE. No group has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks.
