Sri Lanka bombings: Fast asleep, two from Bengaluru survive Shangri-La suicide blast

BENGALURU: Two Bengalureans survived Sunday’s blast in Colombo’s Shangri-La Hotel as they were

fast asleep

and did not leave their rooms. Most of the others who died were at the restaurant on the second floor or nearby.


However, KJ Purushotham Reddy, a BJP leader from Koramangala, 45, and his brother-in-law Nagaraj Reddy were critically injured in the explosion while having breakfast. Late on Monday, officials confirmed that Nagaraj was dead and Purushotham, who has been operated upon twice since Sunday, was battling for life in a Colombo hospital.

Prasanna Reddy, 47, from Koramangala, and garbage contractor Ramesh Reddy, 47, from HSR Layout, were asleep in their fourth floor room and escaped unhurt.

“We were fast asleep when the blast took place at 8.50am in the hotel’s dining area when everyone was having breakfast,” Prasanna told TOI from Colombo. “The entire hotel shook. It was like a huge tremor.”

“We ran down in our night clothes within five minutes of the blast and saw blood everywhere,” he said, adding that it took a while for them to know for sure about Purushotham and Nagaraj.

“We didn’t know anything until hotel authorities checked how many people were missing and how many were injured or dead,” Prasanna said. “We then learned that Purushotham and Nagaraj were injured and both were being treated at National Hospital in Colombo. We were later informed that Nagaraj had died.”

Nagaraj’s cousin and former Congress corporator GNR Babu said his body was expected to arrive by flight at 6.30pm on Tuesday.

Yelahanka BJP MLA SR Vishwanath, a relative of Purushotham, went to Colombo after news of the blast. “I am personally taking care of Purushotham. Two surgeries have been performed on him already. A vein had been damaged but has since been restored. He is OK for now,” Vishwanath said.

City doctors fly out

He added that two doctors from Bengaluru’s Manipal Hospital boarded a flight on Monday night and will visit Purushotham on Tuesday.

“Our plan is to airlift Purushotham to Bengaluru,” Vishwanath said. “We have already spoken to air cargo but doctors say shifting won’t be advisable until his situation is stable.”


(From left) Ramesh and Prasanna escaped, but Purushotham Reddy was injured in the blast and Nagaraj Reddy died

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