Sri Lanka bombings: Well-known chef and her daughter named as first victims of bomb blasts that killed more than 200

A well-known chef and her daughter were among the hundreds of people killed in the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka.

Shantha Mayadunne and her daughter Nisanga had been staying at the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo, one of four luxury hotels targeted in a morning of bloodshed.

Nisanga Mayadunne, believed to be aged in her 30s, had studied at the University of London, according to her social media page which has been flooded with tributes to the mother and daughter.

It comes as Sri Lanka's foreign ministry confirmed three Britons and two people holding joint US and British citizenship were among the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks.

A British Foreign Office spokesman also confirmed that British nationals were among those killed and said their relatives are being provided support.

Just hours before the bombings, Nisanga had shared a picture of herself with her relatives on Facebook with the caption: "Easter breakfast with family."

Her friend Radha Fonseco told Gulf News: "Nilanga was a very popular girl in college. Besides the fact that she was bright and smart, her mother Shantha Mayadunne, a renowned chef, made her more popular in college. She (the mother) was well respected and an inspirational chef for Sri Lankans."

Police in Sri Lanka now say that 207 people were killed and 450 wounded after eight explosions rocked three churches, four hotels and a housing scheme.

About 35 tourists, including Britons, Americans and Dutch citizens, are believed to be among the dead and the Foreign Office said it was urgently seeking information from local authorities.

Six nearly simultaneous blasts went off during the morning in three churches where worshippers were celebrating Easter and in three luxury hotels frequented by foreign tourists.

Hours later, a blast at a guesthouse killed at least two people.

After an eighth explosion near an overpass in the area of Dematagoda on the outskirts of Colombo, the capital, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said three police officers were killed when they went to question suspects following a tip.

Two blasts went off shortly after the officers entered a house in Dematagoda.

Officials say seven suspects have been arrested.

The attacks mark the worst bout of violence in the South Asian country since its civil war ended a decade ago.

The magnitude of the bloodshed recalled Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war, when separatist Tamil Tigers and other rebel groups targeted the Central Bank, a shopping centre, a Buddhist temple and hotels popular with tourists.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday's blasts.