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Monday, April 22, 2019

A TV chef, business travelers, families eating breakfast. What we know about the Sri Lanka attack victims

Suicide bombers struck three Christian churches and four luxury hotels in eight blasts in the cities of Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa on Sunday morning.
While the overwhelming majority of the dead were Sri Lankans, there were also victims from across the world, from the United States to China, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Turkey.
While we are still learning more about who died, here's what we know so far:

Celebrity chef Shantha Mayadunne and her daughter

Sri Lankan television chef Shantha Mayadunne and her daughter Nisanga Mayadunne were killed in the explosion at the Shangri-La Hotel, according to two immediate family members.
In a Facebook photo apparently posted just before the explosion, Nisanga showed herself and several others eating breakfast in the hotel. The photo caption read "Easter breakfast with family 😊"

ASOS billionaire's children

Three children of ASOS tycoon Anders Holch Povlsen died in the attacks, a spokesperson for his clothing chain, Bestseller, confirmed to CNN Monday.
Bestseller CEO Anders Holch Povlsen during an event in Aarhus, Denmark
"We can confirm that Anders lost three children in the attack," Jesper Stubkier, Bestseller's communication manager, told CNN in a phone interview. He said he could not give further information about the victims because he "had to respect the privacy of the family."
Povlsen is a member of the board of directors of Bestseller, according to the company's website. Bestseller is the largest shareholder in clothing giant ASOS.
Earlier, Denmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anders Samuelsen, said on Twitter that three Danish nationals were killed in the bombings.

International death toll

At least 39 tourists were killed in the attacks, Sri Lanka's Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said on Monday.
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that several US citizens were among those killed.
Dieter Kowalski from Colorado was identified as one of the American victims by Pearson, the education publishing company that he worked for. "Dieter had just arrived at his hotel, where many of our colleagues have stayed over the years, when he was killed in an explosion," Pearson CEO John Fallon said in a statement.
Dieter's brother Derrick Kowalski confirmed his brother's death on Facebook, saying, "as we know that Dieter saw his friends as family, we would like to share our grief over this tragic incident."
The Sri Lankan High Commission in the UK said eight British nationals died: "Yesterday we confirmed that five British nationals had died. This morning, we were able to confirm an addition three British nationals had been killed in the attack, bringing the total death toll to eight."
The UK Foreign Office didn't immediately confirm the number of deaths but said "British nationals were among those killed."
Earlier, Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said in a statement that five British citizens, including two with dual US-UK nationalities, had been killed.
James Dauris, the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, said in a video posted on Twitter that he was on his way to a Colombo hospital where victims had been taken.

Turkish engineers

Turkey has named the two Turkish citizens who were killed. Both were engineers, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
"Unfortunately, we lost our citizens, Serhan Selcuk Narici and Yigit Ali Cavus, in the treacherous attacks in Sri Lanka," the agency quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying.
"We are in contact with their families and we will ensure quick return of the bodies to our country," Cavusoglu said.

Two Australians from the same family

Two Australians from the same family living in Sri Lanka were also killed, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told media in Melbourne on Monday.
"We have further information that has come through from our post, sadly two Australians have been killed as part of these terror attacks," he said.
Two other Australians were injured and are in a stable condition.
"One is a woman in her mid-50s and the other a woman in her mid-to-late-20s. Both are in a stable condition, I understand. One is being treated for shrapnel wounds, and one is being treated for a broken leg," Morrison said.

At least five Indians

Five Indians died in the attacks, said Niteen Yeola, the press officer for the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka. He named the dead as Lakshmana Gowda Ramesh, K.M. Lakshminarayan, K.G. Hanumantharayappa, M. Rangappa and Narayan Chandrashekha.
Yeola added that several more Indians were injured, but their names have not been released.

Chinese cousins

Chinese state media reported that two Chinese cousins died in the attacks. Family members have identified them, the reports said.
Sri Lanka explosions kill more than 200
Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok confirmed that one Dutch person was killed, and a Portuguese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed to CNN that one person from that country had died.
Tributes to the victims and condemnation of the attackers have poured in from across the world.
"I wish to show my affectionate closeness to the Christian community, hit while gathered in prayer, and to all the victims of such cruel violence," said Pope Francis in his Easter Urbi et Orbi blessing. "I entrust to the Lord those who have tragically been lost and I pray for the wounded and all those who suffer because of this dramatic event."
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower went dark at midnight Sunday to pay tribute to the victims.
"The attacks on tourists and Easter worshippers in Sri Lanka are an attack on humanity," former US President Barack Obama tweeted. "On a day devoted to love, redemption, and renewal, we pray for the victims and stand with the people of Sri Lanka."

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