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Survivors of Sri Lankan bombings mourn empty future without loved ones

Reuters
Colombo, Sri LankaUpdated: Apr 26, 2019, 03:40 PM IST
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Victims of the Sri Lanka Easter day bombings. Photograph:(Reuters)

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Sri Lankan security services are continuing their investigation to eliminate potential second-or-third-round attacks after Easter Sunday's bombings, as the undetected terrorists may prepare to strike again.

Thoughts and prayers pour into Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Easter Sunday's bombings, however, the survivors of the attacks are left wondering why they survived and their families and friends didn't.

Anusha Kumar, a mother who lost her husband and two children on Easter Sunday at the St Sebastian Church, sees no hope left after the attack.

Now the picture of her family has become her bedfellow as she feels the emptiness of not having her children around. She is angry at the lack of action, but her grief weighs heavier on her heart.

"If they had informed us, our cardinal would have protected us. We would have been vigilant of our surroundings. I saw the bomber but didn't realize until the explosion. If I knew he was bomber I would have hugged my daughter to protect her. I would have saved my child, she was right next to me," said Kumar.

Kumar's mother-in-law Teresa witnessed the bodies of her son, daughter and five grandkids being brought to her house after the attacks.

"I am under shock and I have no words to express my pain. I am completely alone. I am hurting a lot," said Teresa.

Teresa's son-in-law feels as alone as her. Pradeep Sushanta was waiting at the gate of the church for his family to come out after mass concluded, and in a fraction of a second his wait has become endless. He was one of the first to go in after the blast to find his children dead and his wife half-alive, who later passed away at the hospital.

"I am not alive. I wish I died with them when it happened. They were my family they were my life. Now that they have gone I am lifeless," said Sushanta.

These explosions have left behind many lifeless families. With the death toll rising every day, a stream of funerals and burials are taking place everyday.

Sri Lankan security services are continuing their investigation to eliminate potential second-or-third-round attacks after Easter Sunday's bombings, as the undetected terrorists may prepare to strike again.