Sri Lanka mourns the 290 dead and some 500 injured after the bombings. Most of the victims come from the country itself. They attended one of the Easter celebrations in the churches that were affected.
About 40 foreigners also did not survive the attacks. This is what we know about the victims.
The Netherlands
A 54-year-old Dutch woman died in the attacks. The wife was on vacation with her husband and two children. They are unharmed. The killed Dutchwoman lived abroad, but not in Sri Lanka. She had booked a room at the Cinnamon Grand, a very luxurious 5-star hotel in the heart of Colombo, close to the World Trade Center and the National Museum. During her stay at the Cinnamon Grand, she fell and become one of the victims to a suicide bomber when she joined the line for the Easter breakfast.
Denmark
Three of the four children of the Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen (46) died in the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka. They stayed at the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo. Povlsen is the largest shareholder of clothing retailer Asos and owner of the Bestseller chain. Bestseller includes brands such as Vero Moda and Jack & Jones. The ages and names of Povlsen’s children who died have not yet been communicated.
Eyewitness Kieran Arasaratnam told the BBC yesterday that he had seen “a Danish woman who lost three children”. “Pray for me, pray for me,” she cried. The parents survived the terror attack.
Britain
The British lost eight compatriots in the attack. Among them the British lawyer Anita Nicholson (42) and her 11-year-old son. They stood in line for breakfast at the Shangri-la hotel when the suicide bomber dropped his bomb. Father Ben (43) survived the explosion. It is still unclear where their daughter Annabel is. The lawyer worked in Singapore for a company in the mining industry.
Sri Lanka
The vast majority of the victims “290 died” during the Easter celebrations in the churches. But there were also deaths in the luxury hotels, including the well-known Sri Lankan TV chef Shantha Mayadunne. She was just sitting with her family at the Easter Disis in the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel in the capital city Colombo when all hell broke out. Just before the explosion, she had posted a beautiful photo of the joint Easter breakfast on Facebook.
Shortly thereafter, a suicide bomber decided to blow himself up and destroy several lives. Shantha Mayadunne, who had different cooking programs on national TV, and her daughter Nisanga would not survive. Three employees of the hotel also died. The Cinnamon Grand Hotel lost four employees who were working in the restaurant.
United States
“And the fun begins. I love these business trips. Flying 24 hours. See you soon Sri Lanka!”, Dieter Kowalski posted on his Facebook before he boarded the plane in Denver. Yesterday, the company for which he was on the road announced that their colleague had died and one the victims in the terrible attack.
“Dieter had just arrived at the hotel where so many of our colleagues had been staying in recent years and was killed in the explosion,” wrote John Fallon, director of Pearson, which offers teaching packages to its employees worldwide.
India
A total of eight people died from India. These include seven politicians from one party, the leader of the Indian state, Karnataka, announced. The group had just arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel and immediately joined for breakfast when the destructive bomb went off. The 58-year-old Razeena from India also died in this hotel. The wife traveled with her husband to Sri Lanka to celebrate holidays and visit family. She was killed outside the hotel shortly after she was checked out at the Shangri-La. She was about to fly to Dubai where she lives, reports The New Indian Express.
Switzerland
A 60-year-old man and his 55-year-old wife from Bern also died in the bombing, Swiss media report. The two ran a kiosk in the capital. They were in Sri Lanka with their son. He was injured.
Bangladesh
The 8-year-old grandson of a prominent Bangladeshi politician died when he was on vacation in Colombo with his family. Zayan Chowdhury was having breakfast together with his father, reports in Bangladesh. His mother and brother were still in the hotel room when the bomb went off.
Turkey
The two Turkish friends Serhan Selcuk Narici and Yigit Ali Cavus worked as engineers in Sri Lanka. According to the Haberport news site, they would have gone to a hotel for breakfast when they were fatally injured.
Australia
Two families from one Australian family among the victims perished. According to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, they lived in Sri Lanka.
Japan
Japanese Kaori Takahashi lived in Sri Lanka and was fatally hit while having breakfast with her husband and child in the restaurant, reports Japanese news site Kyodo News.
China
The state broadcaster has announced that two Chinese have died. Further details are not known.
Portugal
A resident of Portugal was killed. It is unknown who it concerns.
France
One French citizen was also among the victims that died.
