KASARGOD: A Kasargod woman was among those killed in the serial blasts in Sri Lanka while checking out from a luxury hotel in Colombo, according to her relatives. P S Razeena, 61, a native of Mogral Puthur in Kasargod, was killed at Shangri-La Hotel Easter Sunday morning, her nephew K C Irshad said.
She and her husband Khader Kukadi, an engineer in Dubai, had been holidaying in Colombo for the past 10 days.
Khader flew out to Dubai on Sunday morning. Razeena’s brother Basheer, a businessman in Colombo, went to drop him at the Bandaranaike International Airport, 45 minutes away. He had asked his sister to check out from the hotel so that he could pick her up while returning from the airport.
“She planned to stay at her brother’s place for a few days before returning home,” said Irshad.
But fate decided otherwise. Basheer, who runs fuel stations and rice mills in Colombo, had to drive straight back to a hospital, where he identified his sister’s body.Eight simultaneous blasts — five in churches during Easter Mass and three in luxury hotels — in Colombo killed 160 persons.
Two more blasts later took the total death toll past 200, said the Sri Lankan police. Razeena was born and brought up in Colombo, and held a Sri Lankan passport.Her parents, who died three years ago, were natives of Mogral Puthur.After her marriage to Khader, she moved to Mangaluru, and used to spend time between Dubai and the Dakshina Kannada city, said her nephew. “But during vacations, she would find time to visit her brother and cousins in Colombo. They’ve a huge family there,” he said. She is survived by husband Khader, son Kanser (30) and daughter Farah (29), both techies in California.
CM condemns blasts in Sri Lanka
T’Puram : Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the mass killings by suicide bombers in Sri Lanka on Sunday. In his Facebook post, he said the unfortunate incident, which occurred on the auspicious day of Easter, could be a fallout of communal intolerance.
“People across the globe should be free from the clutches of such intolerance and this incident has clearly underlined the significance of communal harmony. I am with the victims and their families. I strongly condemn the communal interests behind this terror attack. The world should remain vigilant so that such carnage is not repeated,” Pinarayi said. He said the government has taken steps to bring the mortal remains of Raseena to her hometown. Norka officers are in touch with the relatives and authorities of Sri Lanka.
State offers to send medical team to Sri Lanka
T’Puram: Lending a helping hand to Sri Lanka, which was rocked by explosions at churches and hotels killing more than 200 people on Easter Sunday, the state government has readied a 15-member medical team. According to the office of the Health Minister, the state had informed the Ministry of External Affairs about its wish to send a team and it was duly passed to the Sri Lankan government.
But the government responded that due to the ongoing blasts it couldn’t ensure the security of the medical team. “The ministry had informed us of their reply. As security concerns persist the state will only despatch the team upon their demand provided their life is not at stake,” said the Minister’s Office. The team will be led by T’Puram Medical College deputy superintendent Dr S S Santhosh Kumar.