The brother of a British doctor who was killed during the Sri Lanka bombings on Easter Sunday has paid tribute to the ‘kind, loyal and hardworking woman that lived for adventure’.
Dr Sally Bradley and her husband Billy Harrop, 56, both died during the attack which targeted churches and hotels, killing at least 310 people as of Tuesday.
Her sibling, former Labour MP Lord Keith Bradley, said: ‘She was truly a bright light in many people’s lives.’
Dr Bradley’s (pictured) brother, former Labour MP Lord Keith Bradley, said: ‘She was truly a bright light in many people’s lives
Billy Harrop (pictured left), and his wife Sally (pictured right), were killed by a suicide bomb in Sri Lanka
He added: ‘I have lost a sister, who was not only an inspiration to me, but someone that was respected and loved across Greater Manchester.
‘Over the last 24 hours I have been inundated with beautiful tributes to a remarkable and wondrous woman.
‘The light may have been cruelly extinguished for no reason or justification, but she will always live in our hearts and the memories she provided will be forever cherished.’
Mr Harrop was a highly respected former firefighter who worked in various roles across Greater Manchester and was officially commended for his heroism during the IRA bombing in Manchester in 1996.
Labour peer Lord Keith Bradley said: ‘I have lost a sister, who was not only an inspiration to me, but someone that was respected and loved across Greater Manchester’
Billy Harrop, 56, (pictured) and his wife Sally both died during the bombings on Easter Sunday, but their son Gavin, survived the blasts, which targeted churches and hotels
He had two sons from a previous relationship, Miles and Gavin. Gavin had been holidaying with the couple at the time of the blast but was staying at a different hotel.
Dr Bradley and Mr Harrop had been living in the Australian city of Perth since 2013 where she had been practising medicine, but were due to return to the UK soon, where they had bought a retirement home in the Cotswolds.
As station manager at Philips Park fire station, Mr Harrop and his colleagues were one of the first crews on the scene after the IRA detonated what at the time was biggest bomb that had ever exploded on the British mainland.
While no-one was killed, Mr Harrop and his colleagues tended to the hundreds of injured and searched for a suspected second device.
Sri Lankan soldiers look on inside the St Sebastian’s Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo following a bomb blast during the Easter service that killed tens of people
Mr Harrop worked as borough commander for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and took on senior management roles in Sale, Stockport and Manchester.
Tributes flooded in for Mr Harrop from his former colleagues and fire service officials.
Gary Keary, Fire Brigade Union brigade secretary, said: ‘The FBU is shocked and saddened to hear of the loss of former firefighter Billy Harrop and his wife in the tragic events in Sri Lanka.
‘The FBU sends its deepest condolences to his family and friends.’
Sri Lankan soldiers secure the area around St. Anthony’s Shrine after a blast in Colombo on Easter Sunday
Kev Brown, former Fire Brigades Union secretary, said: ‘Billy was a former pupil of Sale Grammar School, was well known in the brigade, and was a real character.
‘He led the Philips Park team in response to the IRA bomb in Manchester 1996 and received a commendation for his actions in the incident.’
The death toll came after a series of eight co-ordinated blasts on Easter Sunday at three churches, three hotels, a guesthouse and near an overpass.
The attacks were carried out by seven suicide bombers. No-one has taken responsibility for the massacre.