An Indian woman from Kerala is among those killed in the series of blasts that hit Sri Lanka on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as 61-year-old Razeena, a native of Mogral Puthur in Kasargod.
She died in the blast that hit a church in the capital Colombo. According to a report in Asianet News, she had gone to Colombo to visit her relatives.
The Kerala state government has initiated action to bring her body back to the state. “The action to bring the body of Razeena, 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,” statement from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office said.
“The series of blasts in Sri Lanka are condemnable. The fact that it happened during a day like Easter points to communal intolerance behind this. We stand with all those who are aggrieved and condemn the communal and terror interests worked behind this,” the Chief Minister said in a Facebook post.
“We have traced her relatives but will take a little more time to reach there. Mogral Puthur is far from Kasargode and it took time to verify the details,” James Joseph, Superintendent of Police, Kasargode told TNM.
Over 200 people have been killed and hundreds more have been injured in the blasts. Eight explosions reported on Sunday, at the St. Anthony's Church in Kochchikade, Kotahena, St. Sebastian's Church in Katuwapitiya in Katana, the Zion church in Batticaloa; Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury five-star hotels in Colombo; near the Zoological Garden at Dehiwala; and Dematagoda Mahawila gardens.