A doctor's family from Karnataka put up at a place near the terror hit Shangri La hotel in Colombo realised they had left the place hours before the mayhem took place.

Dr Raghuram G, a neurosurgeon in Columbia Asia Hospital, had gone with his family and cousins to Lanka. "We were 10 in number and staying in a hotel next to Shangri La where the tragedy struck. We were roaming around the same area. On April 21 (when the bomb blasts took place) we went to Bentota island, 90 km from Colombo,"Dr Raghuram said.

During their stay at Bentota, they came to know about thestring of bomb blasts ripping through Colombo and other partsof the island nation. They returned on April 21 evening to find the roads deserted as curfew was imposed and all shops and hotels closed. Utter chaos and fear prevailed everywhere, he said. "We returned as we had our flight on April 22 afternoon. We were asked to reach the airport six hours early," the doctor told PTI on April 23.

The family went to the police station where it obtained special permission to travel to the airport. "The police officers were cordial and helped us reach our destination," said Dr Raghuram. Over 300 people, including 10 Indians, were killed in the Easter Sunday bombings.