LAST MOMENTS
THE first named victims of the Sri Lanka Easter massacre are a British student and her TV chef mum.
Tragically Nilanga Mayadume posted a photo of her family having breakfast at the five-star Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo just before an explosion there.
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Local media reports they died in the blast - which was one of six bombs set off at around the same time in a targeted attack this morning.
Nisanga captioned the Facebook update from just ten hours ago with "Easter breakfast with family", under which hundreds of people have commented "RIP".
Radha Fonseca, 34, a Sri Lankan expat living in Dubai, : “When I heard the news, I was left numbed and shocked. I don’t know what more to say.
"Nisanga was a very popular girl in college. Besides the fact that she was bright and smart, her mother Shantha Mayadume, a renowned chef, made her more popular in college. She (the mother) was well respected and an inspirational chef for Sri Lankans."
Shantha Mayadume ran a famous cookery school called the Shantha Mayadunne School of Cooking Art and was a well-known Sri Lankan figure.
At least 207 people were killed in an Easter Sunday terror attack on eight churches and five-star hotels in Sri Lanka today.
Nearly 500 were injured when suicide bomb blasts ripped through multiple buildings in Colombo - where tourists were staying and Christian worshippers had gathered for morning mass.
Among the dead are 35 foreigners, local reports say, including nationals from the UK, US, China, Netherlands and Portugal.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
- At least 207 people killed after suicide bomb blasts at three churches and three hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka
- A seventh and eighth explosion in Easter Sunday massacre hours after the first six
- Tourists from UK, US, China, Portugal and the Netherlands are among the victims - one Dutch, one Chinese, two Turkish and one Portuguese national have been confirmed dead
- Theresa May brands attack "truly appalling" as world leaders express sorrow
- Social media ban in place to prevent spread of misinformation, and night curfew imposed
- Culprits identified, says defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene, and seven arrested
- Pope Francis condemns the attacks in his Easter Sunday message
- It comes ten days after Sri Lanka's police chief issued alert on possible attacks to come
Did you witness the attack? Please email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368
Three churches and three hotels - the luxury Shangri-La Hotel, Cinnamon Grand and The Kingsbury Colombo - were targeted in the devastating attacks.
Hours after the first six were reported, there were two more fatal blasts in the city - an explosion at a hotel in Dehiwala which killed two, and another in a flats in Dematagoda which reportedly killed three police officers and led to arrests, taking the shocking attacks up to eight.
All of of the six explosions this morning - as Christians attended Easter mass - were carried out by suicide bombers, according to initial investigations.
Sri Lanka's minister of defence Ruwan Wijewardene said in a press conference: "We believe that all the culprits who have been involved in this unfortunate terrorist incident will be taken into custody as soon as possible. They have been identified, and they will be taken into custody as soon as possible."
He later confirmed seven people have been arrested over the string of deadly blasts.
Shocking images from inside one of the churches show bloodied pews, a destroyed roof and bodies scattered on the ground - as all Easter services planned for this evening in the city were cancelled.
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EASTER SUNDAY MASSACRE
Today security officials told how six near simultaneous blasts hit three churches and three hotels popular with tourists.
It is the worst violence in Sri Lanka since the country's bloody civil war ended a decade ago.
The death toll in the shocking attack has risen to 207, according to Sri Lanka's deputy transport minister - with just one of the church attacks said to have seen 300 victims.
Prime Minister Theresa May said: "The acts of violence against churches and hotels in Sri Lanka are truly appalling, and my deepest sympathies go out to all of those affected at this tragic time.
"We must stand together to make sure that no one should ever have to practise their faith in fear."
The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka condemned the "evil attacks", saying he was in a church service which was cut short by the blasts.
James Dauris tweeted: "Our prayers for the victims of these evil attacks, and for their families. Our thoughts are with the medical staff, police and all involved in the response."
To target Christians on this their most sacred day is evil.
Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley
Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: "I'm deeply shocked and saddened by the horrifying attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka today.
"To target those gathered for worship on Easter Sunday is particularly wicked.
"My prayers are with the victims and their families, and with those assisting in the response."
Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley, added: "To target Christians on this their most sacred day is evil. Sending love to Sri Lankans caught in this terror."
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The Shangri-La's second-floor restaurant was gutted in the blast, with the ceiling and windows blown out. Loose wires hung and tables were overturned in the blackened space.
A police magistrate was at the hotel to inspect the bodies recovered from the restaurant.
From outside the police cordon, three bodies could be seen covered in white sheets.
Brits in Sri Lanka who need help are urged to call the High Commission in Colombo on +94 11 5390639, while people in the UK worried about friends or family should call the Foreign Office on 020 7008 1500.
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The luxury Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo has been gutted by a bomb this morning
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Colombo attacks - Footage from the scene in Shangri-La Hotel in Sri Lanka after horrific explosion
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