Sri Lanka Blasts: Kerala woman among 215 killed as eight blasts rock island nation

An Indian woman -- a resident from Kerala -- was among the 215 people killed in a series of blasts at several locations in Sri Lanka in which suicide bombers were involved in at least two of the eight attacks that struck three churches and luxury hotels frequented by foreigners on Easter Sunday.

Condemning the blasts, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it was time to end communal intolerance in the world. He also said steps were taken to bring back the body of the deceased, P S Rasina (58), a resident of Kasargod, as soon as possible.

"The NORKA authorities are in touch with the High Commissioner's office and the relatives," Vijayan said in a release.

"We need to keep in mind that the attack happened on the Easter day shows the communal intolerance.

It's time to save the countries from the clutches of such communal intolerance. We stand by the families of those who lost their dear ones," he said.

Rasina and her husband - residents of Kasargode who had settled in Dubai -- were in Colombo to meet her relatives, reported news agency IANS. They were staying at Colombo's Shangri-La hotel and was killed in the blast there.

According to News18 Malayalam, Rasina was the daughter of PS Abdullah, a permanent resident of Sri Lanka.

New Delhi said that it was closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka.

"Explosions have been reported in Colombo and Batticaloa today. We are closely monitoring the situation. Indian citizens in need of assistance or help and for seeking clarification may call the following numbers : +94777903082 +94112422788 +94112422789," the Indian High Commission in Colombo tweeted.

"In addition to the numbers given, Indian citizens in need of assistance or help and for seeking clarification may also call the following numbers +94777902082 +94772234176," the high commission tweeted. 

The blasts - one of the deadliest attacks in the country's history - targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and Zion Church in the eastern town of Batticaloa around 8.45 a.M. (local time) as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said.

Explosions were reported from three five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury in Colombo.

Gunasekera confirmed 207 deaths. However, the News 1st channel said that 215 people have died in the blasts.