Danish Billionaire Loses 3 Children, as Death Toll Hits 290 in Sri Lanka Blasts

Agency Report/

Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen lost three of his four children in the Easter day attacks in Sri Lanka, a spokesman for his clothing retail group Bestseller said on Monday.

Danish media have reported that Holch Povlsen, his wife Anne and their four children were in Sri Lanka on vacation at the moment of the attacks, which struck churches and luxury hotels killing nearly 300 people.

“I can confirm that three children have been killed,” Jesper Stubkier, the communications manager for Bestseller, said in a statement.

“We ask you to respect the privacy of the family and we, therefore, have no further comments.”

Considered to be Denmark’s richest man, 46-year-old Holch Povlsen is the main shareholder in the online fashion retailer ASOS as well as the owner of Bestseller.

He inherited Bestseller from his parents who founded the firm in 1975.

The group, which includes brands such as Vero Moda, Only and Jack & Jones, has more than 3,000 stores in 70 countries.

In addition to the majority stake in Britain-based ASOS, Holch Povlsen also owns an interest in its German rival Zalando.

The billionaire also describes himself as “one of Scotland’s largest landowners” on the website of the Wildland company he uses to invest in UK property.

“We wish to restore our parts of the (Scotland) Highlands to their former magnificent natural state and repair the harm that man has inflicted on them,” Holch Povlsen and his wife say on the website.

“There are many vulnerable properties across all of the holdings that we have the wonderful and privileged opportunity to rehabilitate and restore to life.”

Sri Lankan officials said Monday they believe that the local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) was behind the attacks.

Dozens of foreigners are among those killed, while some 500 people were injured.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the attacks rose dramatically on Monday to 290 — including dozens of foreigners — in the country’s worst attacks for over a decade.

Two additional blasts were triggered as security forces carried out raids searching for suspects.

And as tension remained high, police reported a fresh explosion as they attempted to defuse another suspected bomb found Monday near one of the three churches targeted. There were no further details, but police earlier also reported finding 87 bomb detonators scattered on the ground at a bus station and a nearby garbage dump.

President Maithripala Sirisena’s office said a state of emergency “limited to counterterrorism regulations only” would be introduced from midnight Monday (1830 GMT).

“This is being done to allow the police and the three forces to ensure public security,” the statement said, referring to the army, navy and air force.

Officials said Sirisena would meet with Colombo-based diplomats Tuesday to seek international assistance in the investigation.

“The intelligence sections have reported that there are international terror groups which are behind the local terrorists,” the statement said. “International assistance will be sought to combat them.”

The government information department said a new curfew would run from 8:00 pm (1430 GMT) on Monday until 4:00 am on Tuesday.

The US State Department, meanwhile, warned of further attacks in a revised travel advisory, urging increased caution and adding: “Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka.”

The attacks were the worst ever carried out against Sri Lanka’s small Christian minority, who make up just seven percent of the 21 million population.

At least 37 foreigners were among the dead, citizens of India, Britain, Turkey, Australia, Japan and Portugal, as well as a dual US-British passport holder.

Ethnic and religious violence has plagued Sri Lanka for decades, with a 37-year conflict with Tamil rebels followed by an upswing in recent years in clashes between the Buddhist majority and Muslims.

The churches targeted included St Sebastian’s in Negombo, north of the capital, which was surrounded by security forces on Monday.

Dozens of people were killed at the church, including friends of 16-year-old Primasha Fernando, who was at her home nearby when the suicide bomber struck.

“When I got to the church there were people crying and screaming,” she told AFP.

“I saw bodies everywhere,” she added in tears. “I saw parents carrying their dead babies. I saw dead people who had hair but didn’t have faces anymore.”

Many of the dead from the attacks have been taken to the government morgue and relatives on Monday begin the gruesome task of identifying their loved ones.

Eighteen bodies were released after relatives recognised a victim from video shown on a screen in a corner of the morgue courtyard.

Janaka Shaktivel, 28, father of an 18-month-old son, sat in shock outside the building waiting for the body of his wife to be handed over.

“I recognised her body from the wedding ring that she always wore,” he said. “I have no words to explain my feelings.”

Two leading Muslim groups issued statements condemning the attacks, with the All Ceylon Jamiyaathuul Ulama, a council of Muslim theologians, urging the “maximum punishment for everyone involved in these dastardly acts.”

For many, the blasts stirred painful memories of Sri Lanka’s civil war, when bomb attacks were a frequent occurrence.

“The string of blasts brings back memories of the time when we were afraid to go in buses or trains because of parcel bombs,” said Malathi Wickrama, a street sweeper in Colombo.

The attacks drew global condemnation, including from US President Donald Trump and the pope.

*AFP

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