Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that two Australians have been killed in the Easter Sunday Sri Lankan bombings. The co-ordinated blasts have claimed 290 lives.
The two women were living in Sri Lanka and were from the same family. One was a dual-national and the other an Australian citizen. Morrison made a statement to media this afternoon.
“The two who have perished were living in Sri Lanka, they may not at first have been identified as foreign nationals. Out of respect for the family, I can’t provide any further details at this stage.”
Two Australians have also been injured in the attacks. The two women are in a stable condition according to Morrison, with one treated for shrapnel wounds and the other a broken leg. One woman is in her mid 50s and the other in her mid 20s.
The AFP news agency reported today that Sri Lanka’s top police chief Pujuth Jayasundara had issued an alert to authorities warning that suicide bombers planned to hit churches. This was then followed by a statement from Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who confirmed that security services had conveyed “prior information of the attack” to the government, but said that ministers had not been informed.
Sri Lankan Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardena confirmed that the bombings were“terrorist attacks” perpetrated by religious extremists, but that there had been no immediate claim of responsibility.
