npr:

Sri Lanka held its first mass funerals on Tuesday for victims of the Easter Sunday attacks, a string of bombings at churches and hotels that has left a nation in mourning. The death toll rose to 321 people since the first blasts.

In Negombo, about 20 miles north of the capital, Sri Lankans gathered at St. Sebastian’s church after going through body checks. Security forces stood guard at the edges of the crowd, protecting men and women who sang solemn hymns through tears. Each casket was brought to a plot of land to be buried. Flowers, candles and white crosses adorned the fresh graves.

At the Cinnamon Grand hotel in the capital, Colombo, a spokesperson tells NPR that staff held a private funeral with religious leaders from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities — Sri Lanka’s main religious groups.

There were 15 guests and five staff members who died in the hotel’s restaurant. One of the employees was not working, the spokesperson says. Instead, T.A.A. Yaheya was celebrating his birthday with his family. His wife and child survived.

“We need to say our goodbyes,” the spokesperson said. “There is a sense of sadness and loss.”

Mass Funerals Begin In A Grieving Sri Lanka

Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images