Sri Lanka attacks: Easter Sunday bombings marked one year on

  • 2020-04-21 17:54:38
Church bells have rung out across Sri Lanka, marking one year since more than 250 people were killed by a group of suicide bombers. But there are no other large-scale events planned to remember the men, women and children - from worshippers celebrating Easter in church to tourists enjoying breakfast in hotel restaurants - whose lives were ended 12 months ago. Sri Lanka has been observing a curfew since March, as it tries to contain the spread of coronavirus, which has so far killed seven on the island nation. But the day is not going unnoticed - not least for those whose lives were changed forever by the violence. Saranya, 25, was nine months pregnant when a bomb went off at St Anthony's Church in the capital Colombo last year. Her husband was killed in the attack. Just a day later, she gave birth to their son. "My husband never saw his son," she told AFP news agency. "My baby will be one year old on the 22nd, but how can we celebrate. It is a day after his father's death anniversary. It is a sad day for us." Anusha Kumari, whose family were caught up in the attack on St Sebastian's Church in Negombo near the capital, told the BBC's Jane Corbin earlier this year: "My husband and my two children were killed only once. I die every second." A private ceremony was held on Tuesday for survivors. All other public ceremonies were cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. There had been plans to unveil two monuments to those killed, and to hold a number of church services. Two minutes of silence were observed countrywide at 08:45 (03:15 GMT), marking the time of the first report of the six blasts which went off in quick succession. The country's television stations also went silent in tribute on Tuesday. In an anniversary message, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said that while the church has "spiritually forgiven" the attackers, their supporters should still be brought to justice. Investigations into the attacks are continuing. Parliament heard last year that an Indian intelligence warning at the beginning of the month about planned attacks was not properly shared by officials in the previous administration. "It is unconscionable that dozens of people in government, the highest senior elected officials, were made aware of warnings and of intelligence reports, and absolutely failed to investigate," Dhulsini de Zoysa, whose 11-year-old son Kieran was killed at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, told the BBC documentary. "Kieran's father and I feel that it is a call for accountability - the highest elected officials. We have had no acknowledgement that we've lost the most precious person in our lives - nothing at all; not even condolences."

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