Sri Lankan woman loses most of her family in Easter bombings

Negombo, April 24

On Sunday, 43-year-old Anusha Kumari was left childless and a widow when suicide bombers launched a coordinated attack on churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka.

More than 350 people were killed in the near-simultaneous bombings. About a third of the victims were celebrating Easter Mass at St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo.

Kumari lost her daughter, son, husband, sister-in-law and two nieces.

They were buried three days later on some vacant land near the stricken church that has quickly become a cemetery for some of the bombing victims.

Sri Lanka’s president has asked for the resignations of the defence secretary and national police chief after acknowledging that some intelligence units were aware of threats to churches before the Easter bombings. — AP