Hawke's Bay Sri Lankans in shock at 'hateful' bombings

A bombing victim is carried from the St. Sebastian's Church, which was damaged in a blast in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photo / AP

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A bombing victim is carried from the St. Sebastian's Church, which was damaged in a blast in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photo / AP

Hawke's Bay Sri Lankans are in "shock" after more than 200 people were killed in Easter bombings in Sri Lanka.

Senal Dias, the Association of Sri Lankans in Hawkes Bay Incorporated's president, said that the communities here are all just in shock of the attack in Sri Lanka.

"All of us are really shocked with what has happened," Dias said. "We are just all surprised that something so shocking and hateful could be done."

Senal Dias said that the Sri Lankan communities here are all just in shock of the attack back home. Photo / Supplied

The suicide bombers struck churches and hotels in Sri Lanka in a highly co-ordinated attack, killing at least 207 people and injuring 450 on Easter Sunday.

Having only moved to Hawke's Bay from Sri Lanka two years ago, Dias still has strong connections to the places that were attacked.

"One of the churches attacked in Colombo isn't a church for just one faith. I'm Buddhist
but have gone to that church many times along with Muslims, Christians and all other faiths."

It is the worst violence in Sri Lanka for more than a decade since the end of the country's 25-year civil war in May 2009.

"I spent my entire childhood with that war [and] don't want to see other children live through that again."

Hawke's Bay-based Sri Lankan Jagath Perera said he has been watching the news non stop hoping to hear any good news.

"We've spent most of the morning looking over the website and watching the Sri Lankan news to watch for anything new but it's a real shock for us to hear what has happened.

"My mother and mother-in-law both live in Colombo but they are safe and we have told them to just stay inside and stay at home," Perera said.

Perera said people in Sri Lanka were really only now starting to feel safe after the end of the country's civil war.

"There had been no big attacks for almost 10 years since the end of the war. People started to feel safe and now this has happened."

Dias said he had reached out to the local community to see if anyone had been affected but hadn't had any bad news come back as yet.

"We haven't heard of anyone being affected but with social media down and it being difficult to get contact in Sri Lanka we can't know for sure."

The association did have a few events planned over the coming weeks but is planning to cancel them and hold a memorial for all Sri Lankans to remember the families and people struck by the attack.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks but the Sri Lankan Government has blamed religious extremists.

Thirteen people had been arrested, police said, and three police officers were killed in a raid on a house as they attempted to interrogate an individual.

At least 27 of the people killed were foreigners, including American, British, Chinese, Indian, Turkish, Dutch and Portuguese nationals.