ASOS owner lost 3 of his 4 children in the Sri Lanka terror attack

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan

Sri Lanka was struck by tragedy this Easter weekend, after six suicide bombs were detonated at various luxury hotels and churches, killing 310 people. Those who died were predominantly Sri Lankan, many of whom were Christians attending Easter Sunday church services, as well as 31 foreign nationals.

The dead ranged in age from young children to the elderly, and tragically three of Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen's four children died in the attacks, reports the BBC. Povlson, 46, is a majority stake owner of ASOS, and he and his family had been visiting Sri Lanka over the Easter holidays.

The names of Povlsen's children have not been publicly released, and in a statement his spokesman requested privacy for the family while they're grieving their terrible loss.

"Unfortunately, we can confirm the reports," read a statement to the BBC. "We ask you to respect the privacy of the family and we therefore have no further comments."

On the morning of Easter Sunday (April 21) local time, six suicide bombers travelled to churches and five star hotels, where they exploded their bombs within minutes of each other. At the Cinnamon Grand hotel in Sri Lanka's capital city, Colombo, the suicide bomber waited in a queue for the breakfast buffet before detonating the device just before he was served.

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

"There was utter chaos," said an unnamed manager at the hotel in an interview with AFP, describing what unfolded. "He came up to the top of the queue and set off the blast. One of our managers who was welcoming guests was among those killed instantly."

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

The Sri Lankan government has blamed the devastating attacks on local Islamist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), however no group has claimed the bombings. 40 arrests have been made, while the government also shut down the country's access to Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram in a bid to prevent any communication that may lead to further attacks.

The death toll as it stands includes eight British citizens.

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