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Home » Sri Lanka » The Sri Lanka Attacks Could Have Been Far Worse…
Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka Attacks Could Have Been Far Worse…

Matthew Klint Posted onApril 22, 2019November 14, 2023 7 Comments

a large airplane on a runway

As horrific as the coordinated attacks were at hotels and churches in Sri Lanka yesterday, we were spared from even greater carnage than originally planned.

The death toll has risen to 290. Authorities are still discovering more bodies. Terrorists targeted historic houses of worship and upscale hotels, in a campaign of fear and destruction. Images and video of bombs going off during Easter services presented a stark juxtaposition of love and hate. Crowded breakfast buffets were targetted at hotels like the Shangri-La, maiming guests simply eating their breakfast and workers serving them.

But it could have been worse.

An improvised pipe bomb was found on the road leading to Bandaranaike International Airport.  Upon its discovery, a team from the Sri Lankan Air Force was successfully able to dismantle it. Imagine if bombs had gone off inside the airport. Imagine another string of roadside bombs had gone off, doubling the death toll.

The revelation that it could have been far worse is not anything to celebrate. But it is something to be thankful for.

I’ve been to Colombo with my wife. I’ve been to Colombo with Lucky from One Mile at a Time. I’ve walked by hotels that were targetted yesterday. It is truly sobering; a sad reminder of how fragile life is.

CONCLUSION

Now’s not the time to speculate whether it is safe to travel to Sri Lanka. From over 9,000 miles away, all I can do is join with people of good conscience in condemning these attacks and offering my thoughts and prayers for the victims and for the nation.

Let’s hope that the terrorists are not given the satisfaction of instilling long-term fear into citizens, residents, and visitors of what is a remarkable country.

image: John Taggart / Wikimedia Commons

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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7 Comments

  1. Greg Reply
    April 22, 2019 at 11:57 am

    >Now’s not the time to speculate whether it is safe to travel to Sri Lanka.

    I don’t think we need to speculate. The US Department of State says it’s really not very safe:

    “Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.”

    International SOS, whom I actually trust more than the State Department, because they have no political motivations, goes even further:

    “All overland journeys should be conducted after confirmation with local sources that routes are clear. Avoid the vicinity of churches, increase vigilance and minimise time spent around densely populated and/or poorly secured areas. These include popular tourist locations and public areas of hotels.”

    Everybody obviously has their own risk tolerances, but the security experts are warning that normal tourist activities are at risk right now.

  2. Mark in Ithaca Reply
    April 22, 2019 at 12:09 pm

    I know people on a cruise that’s scheduled to stop in Sri Lanka this Saturday. They haven’t heard yet from the cruise line whether that’s changing.

  3. Ken M Reply
    April 22, 2019 at 12:14 pm

    Yet another example of Islamo-fascists preying on innocent Christians and other Westerners. Remind me again how is this a religion a peace?

  4. Frank Doyle Reply
    April 22, 2019 at 2:16 pm

    So you show the photo of the airplane why? If all you see is the headline & photo, you assume bombs on planes…clearly NOT the case here. Terribly click-baity.

    • Matthew Reply
      April 22, 2019 at 5:29 pm

      I strongly disagree. That was not the intention at all. If you have a royalty-free photo of CMB airport, do send.

  5. Aziz Reply
    April 23, 2019 at 2:03 pm

    Not sure if you’ve seen this https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2019/04/23/saudia-airlines-cabin-crew-and-pilots-caught-up-in-sri-lanka-terror-attacks/amp/

    I tend to disagree with the notion that “it could’ve been worse”, there’s nothing worse than innocent people losing their lives regardless of how many they were. The numbers could’ve been bigger, but the tragedy is the same.

  6. Amendra Reply
    March 6, 2021 at 2:32 am

    Totally Agreed … What more you need this to be called ” WORSE” 290 + DEAD over 700 + injured, and pain of the Living Loved ones there are more than 1000 Loved ones who lose close relatives…

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