Romania's Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu said on Sunday that eight Romanian children were in the city of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, at the time the explosions took place and they were evacuated by local authorities to safety at a military base on the outskirts of the capital.
"I have been in touch with some of those who are vacationing or living in Colombo. From my discussions with the people, I understood that they had not been affected in any way by the terrorist attacks. The most sensitive issue is that a group of eight children and a chaperon were in Colombo and support was found for them in the end. We managed to talk with the authorities and learned that all the eight children were taken to a military base on the outskirts of Colombo, where security is extremely strict," Melescanu told Digi 24 private broadcaster.
He recommended that the Romanians in Colombo contact the Romanian consulate and return to the country "as quickly as possible," because there is no saying how the attacks develop.
Melescanu also said that on Sunday afternoon there will be a meeting in Colombo with all the embassies and consular representatives from the European Union member states to exchange information and at 17:00hrs, EEST, a task force will convene at Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE) .
As many as 158 people died, including 35 foreigners, following several blasts on Sunday in churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, France's AFP news agency reports quoting a source with the local police.
Another 254 people were rushed to hospitals in Colombo, and 60 more injured were reported in two explosions outside the capital.
AGERPRES