One of the grandsons of Awami League Presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim has been killed in one of the bomb blasts that ripped through several churches and hotels in Colombo.
Sheikh Selim’s Personal Assistant Imrul Haque a little after 11pm on Sunday confirmed to Dhaka Tribune that Zayan Chowdhury, one of the two sons of Sheikh Selim’s daughter Sheikh Amena Sultana Sonia, died in an explosion in the hotel where the family was staying.
He said that Zayan’s father Mashiul Haque Chowdhury was also injured in the blast and later admitted to a local hospital.
He, however, could not provide further details.
A family member also told Dhaka Tribune that Mashiul was in critical condition and undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Quoting family sources, Awami League’s Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi around the same time also confirmed to Dhaka Tribune of Zayan’s death, and added: “We are going to Sheikh Selim’s home now.”
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More than 200 people were killed and at least 450 injured in bomb blasts that ripped through churches and luxury hotels in the Sri Lankan capital on Easter Sunday, the first major attack on the Indian Ocean island since the end of a civil war 10 years ago.
Hours after the attack, different media outlets reported that Gopalganj 2 MP Sheikh Selim’s family members were among the bomb blast victims in Colombo.
Earlier in the evening, Imrul Haque had told Bangla Tribune that Mashiul and Zayan were injured and admitted to a hospital in Colombo.
Imrul said Selim spoke to Mashiul after they were hospitalized. “They are currently undergoing treatment. We will know more later,” he added.
Meanwhile, addressing an event in Brunei on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also said that the family members of her cousin Sheikh Selim’s daughter were among the victims of the bomb blasts.
“Selim’s son-in-law and a grandson were eating at a restaurant, where a bomb blast took place,” she said, urging all to pray for the family members.
A senior Foreign Ministry official in Dhaka later told Dhaka Tribune that Mashiul and his son were admitted to a local hospital after they were injured.
The official said Sonia, Mashiul and their sons Zayan and Zohan were staying at hotel in Colombo, where one of the bombs exploded. The family was there on holidays.
Sonia and Zohan were in their room on the hotel’s sixth floor, while Mashiul and Zayan were at a restaurant on the ground floor when the attack took place, according to the official.
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Meanwhile, another senior ministry official confirmed to Dhaka Tribune that no other Bangladeshis were reported missing or among the victims yet.
Helpline opened
Speaking to Dhaka Tribune from a local hospital in the evening, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Riaz Hamidullah had also said that two Bangladeshi citizens were injured in the deadly bomb blasts.
Their injuries were not life threatening, he added.
"The mission is contacting the Bangladeshis living in the country. A hotline has been opened for emergency communication with our citizens," he added.
The envoy also said that expatriate Bangladeshis in Sri Lanka had been advised to stay home or at safe places, considering the circumstances.
The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided the following hotline number, +94117399453, of the Bangladesh High Commission in Sri Lanka to find any information and updates related to the tragic incident of the attacks.
Seven people were arrested and three police officers were killed during a security forces raid on a house in the Sri Lankan capital several hours after the attacks, many of which officials said were suicide bomb explosions.
The Sri Lankan government declared a curfew in Colombo and blocked access to social media and messaging sites, including Facebook and WhatsApp. It was unclear when the curfew would be lifted.
