An Australian father whose wife and young daughter died in the Easter terror attacks in Sri Lanka has detailed the moment he discovered their lifeless bodies.
Melbourne woman Manik Suriaaratchi and her 10-year-old daughter, Alexandria, were among 290 people killed in the bomb blasts that targeted tourists and Christians at St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, north of Colombo on Sunday.
Mrs Suriaaratchi's husband Sudesh Kolonne was outside parking the family's car when the attack happened, and rushed inside the church after the explosion fearing the worst.
Manik Suriaaratchi and her 10-year-old daughter, Alexandria (both pictured with Sudesh Kolonne), were among 290 people killed in the bomb blasts that targeted tourists and Christians in Negombo, north of Colombo on Sunday
Mrs Suriaaratchi's husband Sudesh Kolonne was outside parking the family's car when the attack happened, and rushed inside the church after the explosion fearing the worst. Pictured: Officials inspect the damaged St Sebastian's Church
Mr Kolonne said he found his wife and daughter on the floor of the church after the explosion. Pictured: Security forces secure the area around the St. Anthony's Shrine after an explosion hit St Anthony's Church in Kochchikade in Colombo, Sri Lanka
'I heard a huge noise and I jumped into the church and I saw that my wife and my daughter were on the floor,' he told the ABC.
'I just saw my daughter on the floor and I tried to lift her up, she was already dead. And exactly the same... next my wife is there.'
The family had recently moved back to Sri Lanka after living in Melbourne for decades.
'They were here, they were Australian citizens and they went back three or four years back to look after their mother,' family friend Fahim Mawjood told SBS.
Their devastated family have described the loss as 'shocking'.
'It is really shocking to know that you are no longer here with us,' one relative said.
The family (Mr Kolonne and Alexandria pictured) had recently moved back to Sri Lanka after living in Melbourne for decades
Sri Lankan soldiers look on inside the St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo after the bombings
A crime scene official inspects the site of a bomb blast inside a church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, which lost half its roof tiles with the force of the blast
'You lost your lives on a holy day in a holy place. The sweet memories of Alex and yourself will live in our hearts forever.'
10.10am local time: Reports from witnesses suggest that two churches in Sri Lanka have been hit by explosions as worshippers gather on Easter Sunday. The historic St Anthony's Shrine in Colombo and St Sebastian's Church in Negombo are among those reported to have been hit.
10.50am: An unnamed security official suggests there have been six closely-timed attacks at three churches and three hotels and that suicide bombers may have been involved in at least two of the blasts.
12.20pm: It is reported 129 people are dead and more than 500 have been taken to hospital after blasts at six sites, according to a Sri Lanka state-run newspaper.
1.50pm: Sri Lanka's top military officials are brought together for an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. The meeting is called by prime
