Four Chinese scientists killed in SL blasts: Embassy

Four Chinese oceanic scientists were killed during the Easter explosion in Sri Lanka, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said on Tuesday.

Among them, 38-year-old Li Jian and 35-year-old Pan Wen Liang were senior engineers at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (SCSIO), the Global Times reported.

Two others, Li Dawei (30) and Wang Liwei (26), were from the First Institute of Oceanography under the Ministry of Natural Resources, according to the institute's website. Both institutes' website turned black and white on Tuesday to mourn the dead scientists.

Li Jian, along with four other scientists, arrived at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo on April 18 and 19, respectively. They were expected to participate in a joint scientific cooperation between China and Sri Lanka, the SCSIO said. It said that when the hotel was bombed on April 21, Li Wei and the other three were immediately killed, and five others were injured and they returned to China for further treatment, the Xinhua New Agency reported on Wednesday.

The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka on Wednesday strongly condemned the terror acts, offered deep condolences for the death of their four scientists, and thanked the Sri Lankan government for its assistance.

A string of suicide bomb blasts rocked hotels and churches across Sri Lanka on April 21, killing more than 250 people. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, said 42 foreign nationals were among the casualties.