2 more Indians among those killed in Sri Lanka blasts

Two more Indians, identified as Vemurai Tulsiram and S R Nagaraj, have lost their lives in the multiple blasts in Sri Lanka during Easter celebrations, the Indian High Commission confirmed.

The death toll of Indians deceased in the incident now stands at seven.

The Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikade and Batticaloa fell prey to a set of eight coordinated explosions as the Christian community celebrated Easter Sunday on April 21.

A national emergency has been declared in Sri Lanka in the wake of the deadly blasts, which took the lives of 290 people and wounded 500 more. Out of these, at least 17 people have been recognised as foreign nationals.

 

Apart from Tulsiram and Nagaraj, the other deceased Indians are K G Hanumantharayappa, M Rangappa, Lakshmi, Narayan Chandrashekhar and Ramesh, according to the Indian High Commission in Colombo.

A "controlled explosion" was recorded near the St. Anthony's church in Kochchikade here on Monday, according to reports in Sri Lankan media. No new casualties have been reported in the latest blasts.

The Negombo road was closed off on Monday as police searched a suspicious vehicle parked in Welisara, Sri Lankan news portal Ada Derana reported.

The police, meanwhile, said that 24 people were arrested in connection with the gruesome attacks.

Sri Lankan authorities suspect the hand of an international network in the terrorist incident, which is the worst violence in Sri Lanka since the end of the civil war 10 years ago.

In the wake of the tragedy, the Indian Coast Guard has been put on high alert along the maritime boundary with Sri Lanka.

Maritime surveillance aircraft Dornier and ships have been deployed on the maritime border to prevent any attempts of escape by the group which carried out suicide bombings in Sri Lanka, Coast Guard sources said.

The coast guards are taking extra precaution to avoid a repeat of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks when the terrorists used the sea route to enter India.