Scotland’s biggest private landowner has said three of his children were killed in the Sri Lanka terror attacks.
Three of the four children of Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen were killed after blasts hit churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday.
The bombings, which killed nearly 300 people, are being treated as a terrorist attack by religious extremists and police have arrested 13 but there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
It is currently unknown which of his three children have died.
Mr Holch Povlsen, who is the largest stakeholder in online fashion retailer ASOS, is believed to be the largest private landowner in Scotland after buying a string of estates.
The 46-year-old owns more than 220,000 acres in Scotland and recently spoke about having a “200-year vision” to “rewild” his adopted homeland’s “most vulnerable, precious and mysteriously beautiful landscapes”.
In 2006, he bought Glenfeshie estate in the Cairngorms and has since acquired 12 more properties in the Highlands, including Kinloch, Hope and Ben Loyal estates in Sutherland, as well as Aldourie Castle on the banks of Loch Ness.
He is also a director of NC500, the company set up to promote the tourist trail.
Jesper Stubkier, communications manager for Mr Holch Povlsen’s wholesale fashion business Bestseller, said the couple had lost three children in the Easter Sunday attacks.
He told the Press Association on Monday: “I can confirm that three children have been killed.
“We have no further comment and we ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this time.”
He declined to comment on the identity of the children or whether other members of the family had been visiting Sri Lanka.
