The terror attacks on Easter Sunday in Colombo snatched the lives of over 40 foreign nationals who loved our beautiful paradise isle, Sri Lanka.
The eight suicide attacks which killed over 250 dragged the country back to its dark years instantaneously, in the year it was poised to celebrate a decade of peace after ending the bloody LTTE war.
Sunday’s terror attacks in star class hotels and churches was said to have been inspired by Islamic State ideologists and touted as one of the deadliest after the United States’ 9/11.
Among those who lost their lives were the three children of the Danish billionaire, Anders Holch Povlsen and the wife and two young children of British Lawyer, Ben Nicholson, who were holidaying in Sri Lanka.
An American businessman Lewis Allen (63), who funded a children’s ward at the General Hospital, Ratnapura, lost his wife, while a Manager from Britain, Matthew Lindsay lost his teenage son and daughter.
Official sources also confirmed that a young Portuguese woman had lost her husband. The couple was spending their honeymoon in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka had seen a surge in tourist arrivals, after Lonely Planet, the top travel magazine ranked it as the number one travel destination for 2019. The country had recorded an increase in high profile travellers this year.
Anders Holch Povlsen who is considered the wealthiest person in Denmark was here spending a holiday with his children. Sunday Observer staffer Rajitha Jagodaaracchi captured him at the National Hospital with a blue swollen eye, a wounded hand and blood stained shirt speaking on his phone. We will not publish this picture as we respect the victims’ privacy.
His son and two daughters posted pictures of themselves on instagram hours before the tragedy that killed them instantly.
The foreign media reported that he had four children but it was not clear if all four were in Sri Lanka. The billionaire fashion tycoon was described by The Guardian as the owner of Denmark’s bestseller fashion business, a majority shareholder of UK’s Asos, an online fashion retailer and the biggest land owner in Scotland.
Our photographers captured Ben Nicholson walking up to the National Hospital after the tragedy, in a white t-shirt and shorts which were soaked in blood.
The British High Commission in Colombo released a statement from the Nicholson family, seeking respect for privacy. Nicholson’s 42- year-old wife Anita, 14-year-old son Alex and 10-year-old daughter Annabel were killed in the bombings at the restaurant of Shangri-la Hotel, Colombo while they were seated at breakfast.
The statement from Nicholson read, “I am deeply distressed at the loss of my wife and children. Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children.”
“Alex and Annabel were the most amazing, intelligent, talented and thoughtful children and Anita and I were immensely proud of them and looked forward to seeing them develop into adulthood. They shared with their mother the priceless ability to light up any room they entered and bring joy to the lives of all they came into contact with.” The statement accompanied a beautiful family photograph.
Britisher, Matthew Lindsay lost his 15-year-old daughter Amelie and 19-year-old son Daniel at the Shangri La Hotel on the final day of their tour. He has two other sons who are 21 and 12.
American Businessman Lewis Allen who was here on holiday with his Dutch wife Monique and three sons aged 15, 20 and 26 lost his wife (54) in the tragic incident.
Around midday on Sunday the family was scheduled to return to Bangkok where his business is based. Monique along with one of their sons was at the gym before going to the restaurant for breakfast when the suicide bomber senselessly blew himself up. Monique was killed and the son suffered minor injuries to his head.
The others who were in their rooms rushed to the National Hospital later looking for their missing family members.
Lewis found Monique (who had suffered fatal injuries to her head) at the police morgue while his son who luckily survived the blast was being treated in Ward 32.
The family had arrived in Sri Lanka on April 16. “The plan was to have a holiday and show Monique the children’s ward he co-funded at the General Hospital, Ratnapura,” said Punsiri Tennakoon, a gem businessman and a partner in Lewis’ business.
Tennakoon, two other businessmen from Ratnapura and Lewis equally shared the Rs.100 million project of the hospital which was opened by President Maithripala Sirisena. During the recent trip they had discussed building two more storeys to the children’s ward spending a further Rs.40 million.
This was to commemorate their son who was killed several years ago during an excursion in the Himalayas in Nepal.
“They are Buddhists and I believe they will come to terms with Monique’s sudden demise,” Tennakoon said adding that, however, it will be difficult as one son is still schooling and the other was in university.
Monique’s final rights were performed according to Buddhist customs at Tennakoon’s Colombo home on Tuesday.
The three sons were seen offering Mathaka Wasthrain the name of their mother.
A Tourism Promotion Bureau spokesperson said eight foreigners with serious injuries, some with embedded shrapnel were being treated in state and private hospitals as at Thursday evening.
About 25 foreigners were admitted to hospital initially but most have left after treatment.
Bodies of nine Indian nationals of the eleven who perished in the attacks were repatriated as of Thursday, the Indian High Commission in Colombo tweeted.
The situation in the country, especially in Colombo remained volatile even by Friday, with rumours of more attacks engineered by Islamic extremists doing the rounds, keeping most shops and offices closed and law enforcement authorities on high alert.
