A day of mourning has commenced in Sri Lanka as the first mass funeral takes place following the devastating terrorist attacks which took place on Easter Sunday. Over 300 people died in the attack, including 8 Britons.
At 8:45am local time a series of eight bombings targeted churches and hotels in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa. More than 500 people were injured.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised UK holidaymakers in Sri Lanka, that are safe, to contact friends and family in the UK. Those that have been affected by the attack are being asked to contact the Embassy in Colombo and people in the UK that are worried about friends and family in Sri Lanka should contact the FCO.
At this moment in time the FCO has not advised against travel to Sri Lanka, and it is unlikely such restriction will come into force. For people due to travel to the area, this means they will not be covered by their travel insurance to cancel their holiday.
Travel insurance will not cover ‘disinclination to travel’. Those who have booked through a travel agent or tour operator may be able to change their plans, but this will be at the discretion of the company.
Very few travel insurers that offer ‘cancellation for any cause beyond your reasonable control’ or ‘cancellation for any reason you could not have been expect to foresee or avoid’ may take your cancellation claim into consideration if you are due to travel within the next few weeks, to affected area. This cover is not widely available so be sure to check your policy wording before submitting a claim.
People due to travel to Sri Lanka are being advised by the FCO to follow the advice of the authorities and security staff.
