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Shyam Bhatia in London
The first batch of British tourists caught up in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's attack on Colombo airport has arrived back home in London.
Eighteen people died in the attack aimed at highlighting the anniversary of Sri Lanka's long-running civil war. But none of the tourists were injured.
Military aircraft and 11 civilian planes, half the Sri Lankan Airlines national fleet, were damaged or destroyed in the attack.
There were emotional scenes at London's Heathrow airport earlier on Thursday when a Sri Lankan Airlines flight from Colombo touched down just after 2am BST, prompting emotional scenes as relieved relatives were reunited with their loved ones.
The returning tourists who witnessed the assault on Bandaranaike Airport and the adjacent Katunayake military air base by the Tamil Tigers spoke of their terror as they were forced to dodge bullets and explosions.
One of them, newlywed Jimmy Bellieni, 36, said: "I lost my two children for 14 hours. I was going out of my mind with worry. It was mad.
"I blame the tour operators and the Sri Lankan tourist industry -- they should have just told us what was going on. It's a relief to be back."
The British foreign office has now advised visitors to postpone trips to Sri Lanka. A spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents said tour operators are advising customers to cancel holidays planned on the emerald island.
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