This picture taken on May 27, 2018 shows Bestseller-owner Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife Anne Holch Povlsen as they arrive at the celebration of the 50th birthday of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark. – The Bestseller company confirmed on April 22, 2019, that the Holch Povlsen couple lost three of their children in the attacks in Sri Lanka.
The death toll from bomb blasts that ripped through churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka rose dramatically April 22 to 290 — including dozens of foreigners — as police announced new arrests over the country’s worst attacks for more than a decade. (Photo by Tariq Mikkel Khan / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo credit should read TARIQ MIKKEL KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)

SRI LANKA: On the morning of Easter Sunday – a day of rejoice and celebration to the Christian community – the country of Sri Lanka was devastated with a series of coordinated bombings throughout the cities of Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa. Targeting Christian churches, hotels and other tourist destinations the death toll is now exceeding 200, with hundreds of others injured.

As further information is released regarding those who perished in the attacks, it has now been reported that ASOS shareholder and billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, and his wife Anne Storm have tragically lost three of their four children. According to Danish authorities, it has been confirmed that three Danes were killed, but at the time of publication it is not known which three.

A spokesman for Mr Povlsen also released a statement, which read: “Unfortunately, we can confirm that (the deaths of the three children in Sri Lanka). We ask you to respect privacy, and we therefore have no further comment.”

The couple along with their four children – Alma, Astrid, Agnes and Alfred – were visiting the country for the Easter break before carnage broke out across the island. Five days ago, daughter Alma posted an Instagram photo of the children on holidays.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwXEi0yDpd1/

Reportedly worth $11 billion AUD, the majority shareholder of the online retail store ASOS, is also said to own one percent of the land in Scotland. Just days before the attack, Mr Povlsen announced plans to pass on his estate to the children after he died.

Sri Lankan Government officials have also confirmed that 32 foreign visitors were killed in the blasts, including British, United States, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Dutch and Portuguese nationals. Two Australians, Manik Suriaaratchi and her daughter Alexandria, 4, were killed in the Negombo church attack.

More information is slowly being released amidst a social media curb to prevent misinformation from reaching the population. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but speculations are focussed on Islamist militants in the Buddhist-majority country.

If anything can be taken from the recent attack, it is that terrorism does not discriminate.