Tributes paid to Sri Lanka chef Shantha Mayadunne and daughter killed in Easter bombings

Thousands have expressed their sorrow at the death of Sri Lanka’s TV celebrity chef Shantha Mayadunne and her daughter Nisanga as the two women were among those killed in the attacks that left at least 320 dead on Easter Sunday.

The bombings, for which the Islamic State has now claimed responsibility, targeted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels across the country, killing hundreds and injuring hundreds more.

Today – Tuesday 23^rd April – has been decreed a national day of mourning.

Shantha and Nisanga Mayadunne had been staying at the Shangri-La hotel in Columbo; Nisanga posted a photo of the family enjoying breakfast together on her Facebook account at 8:30am, minutes before the attacks began.

Thousands sent messages of condolences via the post while others shared the news on Twitter, much to the same response: 

A celebrity chef Shantha Mayadunne & her daughter were amongst the victims in #SriLanka.Few hrs ago Nisanga posted this on FB, having #Easter breakfast with family.
This is just one story, it breaks my heart to imagine how many more smiles were snatched & familes were shattered???? pic.twitter.com/OEbjr3CHFh

— Mona Farooq (@moonalala) 22 April 2019

Shantha was one of Sri Lanka’s best known television chefs, and the first to host a live cooking program there. She also wrote two cooking books and opened cookery schools in Australia, the UK, Singapore, Thailand and India.