Two Australians confirmed dead in Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bomb attacks

Two Australians are among 290 people killed in bomb blasts targeted at tourists and Christians that devastated Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday afternoon confirmed two Australians were dead and two others, women aged in their 20s and 50s, seriously injured, one suffering shrapnel wounds and the other a broken leg.

Suicide bombers targeted three churches, three luxury hotels, and a guesthouse on Sunday morning, with authorities finding and disposing of another explosive at the airport later in the day.

'Out of respect for the family, they've asked that we don't provide further details,' Mr Morrison said. Both Australian casualties were from the same family and living in Sri Lanka at the time. 

Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham hours earlier said no Australians were among the more than 200 people killed, he was awaiting further details on one Australian who was injured. 

The Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka has been working to determine the whereabouts of Australians and monitor the situation.

DFAT confirmed they were providing assistance to an Australian injured in the attacks, but said they had not received any reports of any Australian fatalities. 

News of the dead and injured Australians came as the heartbreaking stories of victims begin to emerge, with mothers and sons killed over the breakfast table, and worshippers found dead in their pews. 

Australian man Sam, 27, was at the Shangri-La in Colombo when the bombs exploded. He told Macquarie National News he and his friend five to 10 metres away from the blast, and were both left covered in blood.  

'We went down the fire escape and into the car park and just got as far away from the building as we could,' he said. 

Sam said the attack was a 'surreal experience', and said the miss was even closer for his female friend, who was unknowingly just moments from death.   

'My friend had got up to get food,' he said.

'If that [bomb] was two seconds later, she would have been dead.'

He said before the blasts, he had seen two men looking 'a little bit out of place' and wearing backpacks.

'They seemed a little bit uncomfortable and it seemed a bit strange,' he said.  

'There were people screaming and dead bodies all around,' he said. 'Kids crying, kids on the ground, I don't know if they were dead or not, just crazy.'

Australian woman Donna told friends on social media she was 'safely locked in a hotel until the government says it's safe for foreigners to go out again,' News Corp reported.  

'There are now armed guards in the hotel foyer and sniffer dogs going through all cars as they come into the hotel.'

Megan Anderson, from Melbourne, told News Corp she was left shaken after the attacks. Ms Anderson is not staying at one of the affected hotels, but says she was told of the atrocities by another Australian who was on the street at the time. 

She said there would 'definitely' be Australians staying at the Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La and the Kingston, which were all hit by bombers on Sunday, and she and her husband would flying home that night. 

On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the bombings were 'an assault on the innocence of human life'. 

'I've visited Sri Lanka on a number of occasions, and I've always been struck by the beauty of the people,' he said. 'Sri Lanka is a multi-cultural country. It has people from many different faiths, from many different traditions, and like here Sri Lanka celebrates its diversity.

'It has been a decade since we have seen such violence in that place. We don't know yet who was responsible for that violence, but I do know this.

'Hate and evil are what sits behind such attacks. They are the enemies of peace.'

Senator Birmingham said there was no indication about who was responsible for the atrocity, with no group yet to claim responsibility.

'The government is not seeking to move ahead of investigations that rightly will be led by the Sri Lankan authorities,' the trade minister said.

Up to 35 foreigners are believed to be among the dead after blasts at churches and hotels on Easter Sunday.

Senator Birmingham said Australia's thoughts were with those killed.

'These are terrible, distressing and tragic circumstances,' he said.

'Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the beautiful people of Sri Lanka for this terrible, terrible incident.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday said the government would be following through on the safety of Australians in Sri Lanka.

'The devastating nature of this horrific attack on innocent lives, simply going about their day, going to worship on the holiest of days of the Christian calendar, is just absolutely devastating,' Mr Morrison told reporters at Kirribilli House.

Labor leader Bill Shorten described the attacks as devastating.

'We think also of Australia's beloved Sri Lankan community who will carry an immense sense of shock and sadness today,' he tweeted on Sunday.