4 JDS workers vacationing in Colombo dead in Sri Lanka blasts, 3 still missing

Bengaluru Apr 22: Four men from Bengaluru are among those confirmed dead in the serial blasts that hit Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Three others are yet to contact their families after Sunday's serial blasts in the Sri Lankan capital that killed 290 people, including 5 Indians, and injured more than 500. They have been identified as Lakshmana Gowda Ramesh, KM Lakshminarayan, M Rangappa and KG Hanumantharayappa.

The other three others are H ShivuKumar, A Maregowda and H Puttaraju. They had left for a vacation after campaigning for Congress leader Veerappa Moily, who is contesting from the Chikkaballapura Lok Sabha constituency in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections. They were reportedly staying at the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo.

TV channels reported that most the leaders were from Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. They had left for a vacation after campaigning in the constituency.

The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier confirmed that two JD(S) workers were killed in the bomb blasts that rocked Sri Lanka on Sunday. They were among 20 JD(s) workers who were staying at the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy expressed shock over reports of missing JD(S) workers from a team of seven in the Sri Lanka blasts on Sunday.

"I'm shocked to hear that a 7-member team of JD(S) workers from Karnataka, who were touring Colombo (Sri Lanka), has gone missing after bomb blasts. 2 of them are feared killed. I'm in constant touch with Indian High Commission on reports of those missing," ANI quoted him as saying.

At least six Indians have been killed in a string of eight powerful blasts, including suicide attacks, which struck three churches and luxury hotels frequented by foreigners in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, officials told PTI on Monday.

The police said that at least six Indian nationals have been reported among the foreigners who died in the blasts. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday identified two more individuals killed in the blasts on Sunday.

"We sadly confirm the deaths of the following two individuals in the blasts yesterday, K G Hanumantharayappa and M Rangappa," Swaraj retweeted the Indian High Commission in Colombo's tweet. On Sunday, Swaraj, in a series of tweets, identified the three Indians as Lakshmi, Narayan Chandrashekhar and Ramesh.

Indians in Sri Lanka can contact the following helpline numbers: +94777903082, +94112422788 and +94112422789.