Two persons among the six Indians killed in the deadly serial blasts in Sri Lanka on Sunday have been identified as Janata Dal (Secular) workers, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said on Monday.
Earlier in the day, Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka had confirmed the death of two more Indian nationals, KG Hanumantharayappa and M Rangappa in the bomb blasts in Sri Lanka.
@SushmaSwaraj
We sadly confirm the deaths of the following two individuals in the blasts yesterday:
– K G Hanumantharayappa
-M Rangappa.— India in Sri Lanka (@IndiainSL) April 22, 2019
The Chief Minister expressed shock over the news of the death of his party workers whom he said he knew personally.
According to a report in ANI, Kumaraswamy said a 7-member team of JDS workers from Karnataka, who were touring Colombo, has gone missing after bomb blasts. He added that he was in constant touch with the Indian High Commission on reports of those missing.
Sushma Swaraj, in a series of tweets, said the Indian High Commission in Colombo has conveyed that a hospital informed it about deaths of the five Indians in the blasts.
Swaraj also confirmed that the Indian Visa application centre in the island country, IVS LANKA will remain closed for two days, starting from Monday.
On Sunday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan identified a Keralite, PS Rasina (58), among those killed in the deadly bomb blasts.
Read | Sri Lanka serial blasts: 6 Indians killed, toll rises to 290; 24 suspects arrested
At least 290 people were killed and nearly 500 injured in a string of eight powerful blasts, including suicide attacks, which struck three churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Sunday.
The blasts targeted St Anthony’s Church in Colombo, St Sebastian’s Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and Zion Church in the eastern town of Batticaloa around 8.45 am (local time) as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told the media.
Explosions were reported from three five-star hotels — the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury in Colombo.