The little room, like much of Sri Lanka, could hold no more grief.
All day Monday, through the steamy heat, mourners quietly stepped inside and paused in front of a sealed coffin containing what was left of Sneha Savindi Fernando.
Sneha was 11 years old and standing in line for communion at Easter Mass on Sunday when she was blown apart.
“Why did you leave me?” her grandmother cried, sitting in front of the coffin and rubbing its sides, the anguish tight in her hands. “There are so many bad people in the world. Why kill the innocents?”
It was a question all of Sri Lanka was asking.
The day after suicide bombers carried out coordinated attacks on half a dozen hotels and churches across this island nation, Sri Lanka remained in shock. The death toll continued to climb, with the authorities saying the attacks had killed at least 290 people.
An 11-year-old girl was standing in line for communion at Easter Mass on Sunday when she was killed. “Why did you leave me?” her grandmother cried, sitting in front of the coffin. https://t.co/PDG5EqHIzS
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 22, 2019