DENVER – The U.S. State Department is confirming that at least four Americans were killed in a series of Easter Sunday bombings that rocked Sri Lanka.
According to a statement from his employer, a Denver man was among those killed in one of nine bombings.
Dieter Kowalski, 40, was killed in an explosion at the Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo Sunday.
In a statement to employees, Pearson CEO John Fallon said Kowalski was a senior leader of Pearson’s Operational technical support team. The statement said Kowalski had just arrived at the hotel when the explosion happened.
A portion of the statement read:
We mourn Dieter deeply today. We pray for his soul, and for his family and friends. We pray, too, for our colleagues in Sri Lanka, and Denver, and Boston, and in Pearson offices around the world. We’re angry that a good man, who took simple pleasure in fixing things, has been killed, along with many others, by evil men and women who know only how to destroy. But in our anger and despair, we remember the words of Queen Elizabeth II in the aftermath of 9/11. Grief, she said, is the price we pay for love. Let’s remember the love that Dieter had for his family, friends and colleagues – and the love they had for him. Let’s remember his love of life and his love of solving people’s problems. In these desperately difficult days, let’s honour Dieter by showing that love ourselves, by taking extra care of each other – at work, at home and in our communities.
Fallon’s statement described Kowalski as “big-hearted and full-spirited” who could solve some of the company’s toughest engineering problems.
Pearson is a company that provides educational materials and technology to customers around the world.
A total of nine bombings Sunday killed at least 290 people and wounded about 500 more.
