A British man lost his wife and their two children in the Sri Lanka bomb attacks when an explosion rocked the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo as the family were sitting at their table.
Ben Nicholson was the only member of the family to survive the hotel blast on Sunday morning, as his wife Anita Nicholson and their two children Alex, 14, and Annabel, 11, were killed.
Local media reported that after the explosion Nicholson desperately searched for his family, who had been on holiday with him from their home in Singapore.
"Mercifully, all three of them died instantly and with no pain or suffering," Nicholson said in a statement on Monday.
"I am deeply distressed at the loss of my wife and children. Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children."
Mrs Nicholson was a lawyer for mining and metals company Anglo American, while Mr Nicholson is a partner with law firm Kennedys.
At least 290 people were killed and nearly 500 wounded in the series of bombings that targeted churches and hotels on Easter Sunday.
Most were Sri Lankans, while dozens of foreigners were also killed. They include an Australian mother and her 10-year-old daughter and three children of Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, the man behind online fashion retailer ASOS.
Eight British nationals died, as well as citizens from the US, Turkey, India, China, the Netherlands and Portugal.
Australian Associated Press
