Denmark’s richest man loses three children in Sri Lanka bombings

Fashion tycoon Anders Holch Povlsen lost three of his four children in the Sri Lanka terrorist attacks on Sunday. Povlsen was reportedly injured in the bombing. The family was visiting the country over the Easter holiday.

“Unfortunately, we can confirm the news is true,” Jesper Stubkier, spokesman for Povlsen’s fashion firm Bestseller, told Danish news agency Ritzau.

“We ask that you please respect the family’s privacy and we therefore have no further comment,” he said, declining to identify the children.

Povlsen, 46, is the owner of fashion firm Bestseller, which includes brands like Vero Moda and Jack & Jones. He is the majority stakeholder in online retailer Asos, and also holds a big stake in Zalando.

According to Forbes, Povlsen is Denmark’s wealthiest man with a net worth of $7.9 billion. He owns more than one percent of all the land in Scotland after buying a large number of historic estates.

A series of bombings at churches and luxury hotels across Sri Lanka killed 290 people and injured around 500 in Easter Sunday’s attacks. A total of 24 people were arrested in connection with the attacks. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings, but the nation's health minister Rajitha Senaratne said on Monday the attackers belonged to Islamist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ). All of the suicide bombers were Sri Lankan nationals, the minister said.

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