Another two Dutch killed in Sri Lanka attacks
Another two Dutch people were identified on Monday as victims of attacks in Sri Lanka on Sunday. That brings the total number of Dutch victims killed to three, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
The 48-year-old woman and 12-year-old girl, believed to be mother and daughter, died in a suicide bombing at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo - the same bombing in which the other Dutch victim,a 54-year-old woman, was killed, NU.nl reports.
According to the Ministry, the woman and girl identified on Monday both had dual nationality and they lived abroad. The 54-year-old woman also lived abroad. She was on holiday with her husband and children.
Sri Lanka was hit by a total of eight attacks on three churches and multiple hotels on Sunday morning. At least 290 people were killed, including three Dutch. Over 500 people were injured. According to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of foreign victims is now 39. In addition to the Netherlands, they came from Great Britain, Spain, India, Denmark, Australia, China, Turkey, Japan, Portugal, Bangladesh, Morocco, Pakistan and the United States.The vast majority of the victims are Sri Lankan.
The Sri Lankan government said that radical Islamic group National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) is behind the attacks, and that they had help from an international network of terrorists. A total of 24 suspects have been arrested.
The identification of the victims is still ongoing. People missing family members or friends are called to go to hospitals to see if they recognize any of the victims, according to the newspaper.