COLOMBO: Shangri-La hotel Colombo will be closed till further notice, a senior hotel official said Tuesday, after the five-star property was attacked by a suicide bomber on Easter Sunday that killed unspecified number of guests, including Indians.Sri Lankan authorities said Tuesday 321 people were killed and over 500 others injured when suicide bombers attacked three churches and luxury hotels in the country. "We have decided that the hotel will be closed until further notice," Mahika Chandrasena, director of public relations at Shangri-La, Colombo, told PTI. "It is with great sadness that we can confirm that we are aware of a number of casualties among our guests and colleagues. This includes three of our colleagues who were fatally injured in the course of their duties," the hotel said in a statement. "We will continue to work closely with local authorities and emergency services to provide our fullest assistance and support to all affected parties. Our hotel remains secured by the military and the police. We have also decided that the hotel will be closed until further notice," the statement said.The hotel announced that they will continue to provide alternative accommodation for their affected guests. A dedicated helpline (+603 2025 4619) has been set up for affected guests and/or their loved ones. "We are working closely with relevant embassy officials to support their respective citizens," the hotel said in the statement.At least five Indians were killed when the suicide bomber struck the hotel.The Indian High Commission in Colombo identified them as, Lakshmana Gowda Ramesh M Rangappa , K G Hanumantharayappa and Narayan Chandrashekar. Four of them were workers of the Janata Dal (Secular) party.Seven suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist extremist group - the National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) - carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing 321 people and wounding 500 others, including Indians, in the country's worst terror attack.No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but police have so far arrested 24 people - mostly members of the NIJ - in connection with the blasts.<doc-sep>Shangri-La Hotel has been shut down till further notice. It was one of the hotels targeted by suicide bombers on Easter Sunday. India Today's Geeta Mohan brings us more from outside the hotel.<doc-sep>About The Video CCTV footage from Colombo's Shangri La Hotel showed a suspected bomber roaming inside the building. A man sporting a blue cap and carrying a backpack is seen travelling in the hotel's elevator. The new footage emerged a day after similar visuals emerged from St Sebastian's Church where a backpack wielding man was seen walking into the building minutes before an explosion. At least 359 people were killed in bomb blasts at multiple locations in the island nation on Easter.<doc-sep>Moments before they detonated a bomb at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, a pair of suicide bombers were captured on CCTV. One of them smiled as they travelled up to the buffet restaurant in a lift. As guests tucked into breakfast he enters wearing a backpack, before detonating the device. At least 321 people were killed and 500 wounded in the series of suicide bombings that ripped through churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday. The vast majority of the victims were Sri Lankan but the dead but others hailed from the US, Denmark, China, Japan, Portugal and Australia. ✕ Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Police have arrested 60 people in connection with the bombings. Isis has claimed the attack which it said in a statement was carried out by “fighters of the Islamic State”. The group released images of eight men in black carrying knives, their faces covered, posing in front of an Isis flag, as well as a video in which they pledged allegiance to the Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Sri Lankan authorities are investigating whether the cell which carried out the attack, previously identified as a local outfit named National Thowheed Jamath, was aided by returning fighters from Iraq and Syria.<doc-sep>
At least five Indians were killed when the suicide bomber struck the Shangri-La hotel. Five-star hotel Shangri-La in Sri Lankan capital Colombo, that was attacked by a suicide bomber on Sunday killing several guests, will be closed till further notice, a senior hotel official said. "We have decided that the hotel will be closed until further notice," Mahika Chandrasena, Director of Public Relations at Shangri-La, Colombo, told news agency PTI. "It is with great sadness that we can confirm that we are aware of a number of casualties among our guests and colleagues. This includes three of our colleagues who were fatally injured in the course of their duties," the hotel said in a statement. "We will continue to work closely with local authorities and emergency services to provide our fullest assistance and support to all affected parties. Our hotel remains secured by the military and the police. We have also decided that the hotel will be closed until further notice," the statement said. The hotel announced that they will continue to provide alternative accommodation for their affected guests. A dedicated helpline (+603 2025 4619) has been set up for affected guests and/or their loved ones. "We are working closely with relevant embassy officials to support their respective citizens," the hotel said in the statement. At least five Indians were killed when the suicide bomber struck the hotel. The Indian High Commission in Colombo identified them as Lakshmana Gowda Ramesh, KM Lakshminarayan, M Rangappa, KG Hanumantharayappa and Narayan Chandrashekar. Four of them were workers of the Janata Dal (Secular) party. Over 300 people, including Indians, were killed and more than 500 injured when suicide bombers attacked three churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka in the country's worst terror attack.. Seven suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist extremist group - the National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) - carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.