Five Indians were among the 290 killed in the multiple explosions that ripped through Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj quoted the Indian High Commission as saying that it had been informed by the National Hospital in Colombo about the death of three Indian nationals – Lakshmi, Narayan Chandrashekhar, Ramesh. On Monday, the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka stated that two more people, KG Hanumantharayappa and M Rangappa, have also died in the attack. While the Kerala government has stated that a sixth person, hailing from Kerala, has also died in the blasts, the same has not been confirmed by the Indian government yet.
@SushmaSwaraj
— India in Sri Lanka (@IndiainSL) April 22, 2019
We sadly confirm the deaths of the following two individuals in the blasts yesterday:
- K G Hanumantharayappa
-M Rangappa.
Sushma Swaraj added in a tweet, “I conveyed to the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka that India is ready to provide all humanitarian assistance. In case required, we are ready to despatch our medical teams as well.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Kerala government had stated that 61-year-old Indian woman, Razeena, from Kerala’s Kasargod, was among those killed in the blasts. While the details of the other three Indians is being ascertained, the Kerala state government said that it has initiated action to bring Razeena's body back to the state.
“The action to bring the body of Razeena, a native of Mogral Puthur, from Sri Lankan capital Colombo has been progressing. The authorities of the Department of Non-Resident Keralite Affairs have been in constant touch with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner’s office and with her relatives,” a statement from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office said. Razeena and her husband, who hail from Kasargod in Kerala, live in Dubai and were staying at one of the three hotels in Colombo targeted by the suicide bombers.
290 people were killed and around 500 others injured in eight explosions across multiple locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. The first of the eight blasts took place in the morning in three luxury hotels in the heart of Colombo and in a church each in Colombo, Negombo, 30 km from here, and in the Tamil-majority Batticaloa town in the island's east that was once a Tamil Tiger stronghold. In the afternoon, at around 2 pm, another blast hit a guest house near the zoo in Dehiwala in Colombo, killing two persons, and a housing complex at Dematogoda in the city, leaving three policemen dead.
The Sri Lankan police have arrested 24 people in connection with the attack, news agency AFP said on Monday. It is not clear who is behind the attacks.
The Sri Lankan foreign ministry released a statement stating that the number of foreign nationals who have been identified as deceased at the National Hospital in Colombo stands at 11. “The fatalities are: three from India, one from Portugal, two from Turkey, three from the UK, and two holding US and UK nationalities,” the statement read.
“The Foreign Ministry is in close contact with the relevant hospital authorities on the identification of the remaining victims. The Ministry will continue to monitor the welfare of the foreign nationals receiving treatment. An emergency hotline to assist families of the affected foreign nationals will be operational 24 hours at +94 112323015,” the statement added.
Sri Lanka had on Sunday declared a nationwide curfew and placed curbs on social media to kill fake news after suicide bombers carried out a string of well-planned explosions targeting luxury hotels and Catholic churches in Colombo and elsewhere, triggering international outrage. The curfew was lifted at 6 am on April 22 and according to local media reports, the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and the Railway Control room have stated that buses and train services will operate on schedule, following the lifting of curfew as of 6 am on Monday.
On Monday morning, quoting police, AFP reported that an improvised bomb was made safe near the Colombo airport.