Sri Lanka says at least 42 foreigners died in Easter Sunday attacks
The Shangri-La hotel where one of the bombs was detonated
Sri Lankan officials say there are 42 foreign nationals confirmed dead in the Easter suicide bombings which claimed a total of 253 lives.
However, another dozen foreigners are still unaccounted for and may still be among the unidentified bodies still lying in a Colombo morgue.
Five injured foreign nationals still remain in hospital. Of those identified, there were six Brtions, 11 of the dead were Indian, four were from China and three from Denmark. Two each died from Saudi Arabia, Spain and Turkey.
"Human remains of 25 foreign nationals have been repatriated. Additionally, 12 foreign nationals are unaccounted for at present," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Large numbers of tourists fled the country in the days after the April 21 attacks and there has been a sharp decline in arrivals since, with many cancelling trips. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has recently updated its travel advice for Sri Lanka, warning against all but essential travel to the country.
Sri Lanka’s finance minister said a 30% decline in tourist arrivals is expected, costing the country about $1.5 billion. It could take one to two years to fully recover, the minister said.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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