A father of two British teens caught in the Sri Lanka terror attacks was forced to make the heart-wrenching decision over which injured child to save – only for both to die.
Amelie Linsey, 15, and her older brother Daniel Linsey, 19, were both fatally wounded when two suicide bombers struck the Shangri-La Hotel in the capital Colombo.
Their devastated father, Matthew Linsey, 60, told The Times how he carried his son downstairs from the Table One restaurant – where foreigners were targeted at breakfast – and left Amelie behind believing she had suffered less serious injuries.
Mr Linsey, who was injured by shrapnel, said he tried to revive Daniel before taking him to a hospital, where he died.
The father’s grief was compounded when he later found out that Amelie had died of her injuries as well.
Mr Linsey and his children, from London, were inside the restaurant when it was attacked in a series of bombings at hotels and churches on Easter Sunday.
They managed to survive the first explosion but were hit by a second one as guests tried to flee.
Amelie and Daniel were killed on the final day of a family holiday.
Mr Linsey, an investor in emerging markets, told The Times of the horrifying aftermath and his desperate decision over which injured child to save.
He said it was dark inside the luxury hotel after the first bomb exploded inside the restaurant and he couldn’t tell whether his children were all right.
Fearing another blast, they ran out of the restaurant, but there was a second explosion and both children were knocked unconscious in an area near the lifts.
Mr Linsey, who suffered cuts to the face from shrapnel, said: “My son looked worse than my daughter. I tried to revive him.
“A lady said she’d take my daughter. I carried my son downstairs to an ambulance, we took him to the hospital. I yelled, ‘Please help my son, please help, please help’.
I thought my daughter was better off. I couldn’t find her because I was with my son. They sadly passed away.”
He is arranging the repatriation of his children’s bodies.
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
