The eighth British victim known to have been killed in the Sri Lanka attacks has been described by her husband as a “tour de force” who brought people together.

Lorraine Campbell, 55, died in the suicide bombing that struck the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo on Easter Sunday.

Her son said she had been on a business trip in the Sri Lankan capital, and was texting her husband when the messages “suddenly stopped”.

Mark Campbell, 32, told The Sun his stepfather rang him after the bomb went off, adding: “He said he’d been speaking to mum by text at the time and the texts had suddenly stopped.

“We know she was very close to the blast when it happened.”

Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Show all 38 1 /38 Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Sri Lankan Special Task Force officers raid a house following an explosion in capital Colombo AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A blood-spattered statue of Jesus Christ while crime scene officials inspect the site of a bomb blast, as the sun shines through the blown-out roof, inside St Sebastian's Church in Negombo Reuters Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A police officer inspects the damage after a bombing at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sri Lankan capital Colombo AP Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Sri Lankan soldiers look on inside the St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo following a bomb blast during the Easter service AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A woman cries next to a coffin of a bomb blast victim. A series of eight devastating bomb blasts ripped through high-end hotels and churches holding Easter services in Sri Lanka on April 21, killing more than 300 people AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath People who live near the church that was attacked the day before, leave their houses as the military try to defuse a suspected van before it exploded in Colombo Reuters Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Shoes and belongings of victims are collected as evidence at St Sebastian's Church AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Sri Lankan police were forded to clear an area while Special Task Force Bomb Squad officers inspected the site of an exploded van near a church the day after it was attacked Reuters Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka following a bombing AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Queues at the National Blood Bank in Colombo, Sri Lanka after a request for blood to aid in recovery efforts Mr Lavasquabble/Twitter Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Medical response team work to remove dead bodies from the scene of bombings in Sri Lankan capital Colombo AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Sri Lankan security personnel inspect the debris of a car after it exploded when police tried to defuse a bomb AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Security personnel work at the scene of a bombing at a church in Batticaloa in Sri Lanka AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A woman is helped near St Anthony's Shrine after a blast in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday 21 April 2019. At least 130 people were killed and more than 500 hospitalised after near-simultaneous explosions hit three hotels and three churches on Easter Sunday. AP Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Sri Lankan police officers clear the road as an ambulance drives through carrying injured of church blasts in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday 21 April 2019 AP Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A Sri Lankan soldier stands guard near a car explosion AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A woman prays at St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Priests stand inside St Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade church on the outskirts of Colombo after a bombing Reuters Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A Sri Lankan woman living near St. Anthony's shrine runs for safety with her infant after police found explosive devices in a parked vehicle in Colombo AP Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath People react during a mass for victims, two days after a string of suicide bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels Reuters Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Security personal react as a device was detonated in a controled explosion in a van near the St Anthony's Church EPA Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Security forces inspect the scene of a bombing at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sri Lankan capital Colombo Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath The Kingsbury hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka after a bombing attack Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath The damaged interior of a church in Negombo, Sri Lanka following a bombing attack Reuters Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Police and security personnel stand guard outside the Shangri-La Hotel in Sri Lankan capital Colombo following a bombing attack EPA Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Debris is seen at St Anthony's Church in this still image from video footage after explosions hit churches and hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 21 April 2019 Derana TV/via Reuters Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Damage inside a church following a bombing attack AP Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A Sri Lankan Special Task Force officer scales a house during a raid following an explosion in capital Colombo AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A general interior view showing damage after an explosion hit St Anthony's Church in Kochchikade, Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday 21 April 2019 EPA Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Priests walk into St Anthony's Shrine Kochchikade church after an explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 21 April 2019 Reuters Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A Sri Lankan police officer stands outside St Anthony's Shrine in Colombo, Sri Lanka, after a blast on Sunday 21 April 2019 AP Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath A shoe of a victim is seen in front of the St Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade Church Reuters Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Local and security officials gather at the scene at St Anthony's Church in Kochchikade, Colombo, Sri Lanka EPA Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath An ambulance is seen outside the church premises with gathered security personnel following a blast at St Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo, on Sunday 21 April 2019 AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Armed policemen patrol the area after an explosion hit at St Anthony's Church in Kochchikade in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 21 April 2019 EPA Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Sri Lankan Army soldiers secure the area around St. Anthony's Shrine after a blast in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday 21 April 2019 AP Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Sri Lankan security personnel keep watch outside the church premises following a blast at the St Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo, on Sunday 21 April 2019 AFP/Getty Sri Lanka: Scene of the bomb attacks and aftermath Police officers inspect the scene after an explosion hit at St Anthony's Church in Kochchikade in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 21 April 2019 EPA

Mr Campbell paid tribute to his mother’s drive, calling her his “inspiration, role model and mentor”.

Ms Campbell, an IT specialist who was originally from Manchester and living in Dubai, was known to friends as “Loz”.

Her family said she was a “a woman who embraced life to the full, and meant so much to so many people and there will forever be an enormous void that will never now be filled”.

Husband Neil Evans said he and Ms Campbell’s loved ones were “in a state of disbelief and grief”.

“Lorraine was a real tour de force, she epitomised the qualities she lived by, and was a conduit for bringing people together to both make things happen, and make them better,” he added.

“I’ve lost my best friend in the world for all the adventures we shared and planned for the future.”

Ms Campbell was among at least 359 people killed by a series of blasts at churches and hotels on Easter Sunday.

Sri Lankan officials said eight British citizens were known to have been killed in the massacres, which were carried out by local militant group that pledged allegiance to Isis.

Lorraine Campbell, who was killed in the Sri Lanka attacks, with her husband Neil Evans (Family handout)

Among the British victims are Singapore-based lawyer Anita Nicholson, her son Alex, 14, and daughter Annabel, 11, who died when one of seven suicide bombers struck as they ate breakfast at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo.

Her husband, Ben Nicholson, said: “Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children.

“Alex and Annabel were the most amazing, intelligent, talented and thoughtful children and Anita and I were immensely proud of them both and looking forward to seeing them develop into adulthood.”

Londoner Matthew Linsey's daughter Amelie, 15, and son Daniel, 19, were killed in the same blast on the final day of their holiday.

Mr Linsey was injured in the bombing and managed to carry his son to get medical treatment, but the teenager died in hospital and his sister at the scene.

GP Sally Bradley and her husband William “Bill” Harrop, a retired firefighter, died in the Cinnamon Grand Hotel bombing.

The couple had moved from Manchester to Australia after Mr Harrop’s retirement and relatives said they had wanted to “experience life to the fullest”.

“Kindred spirits they travelled the world together, safe in each other’s arms and with smiles across their faces,” Dr Bradley’s family said in a statement.

Ben Nicholson with wife Anita, son Alex, 14, and daughter Annabel, 11. The lawyer's wife and two children were among victims killed in the series of terror attacks in Sri Lanka (PA)

“They were the heartbeat of their families and the inspiration in their lives. They will be forever sorely missed, but never forgotten.”

Nisanga Mayadunne, who studied at the University of London, according to her Facebook profile, and her mother Shantha – a TV chef – were also reported to be among the dead.

A locally employed British Council employee was also ”in hospital with his wife, both with serious injuries“, said foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The vast majority of the victims were Sri Lankan but the dead also included people from countries including the US, Denmark, China, Japan, Portugal and Australia.

Asos billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, who is Scotland’s largest private landowner and Denmark’s richest man, lost three of his four children.

Police in Colombo have detained 58 people in connection with the bombings, while specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command have been sent to the country to support the bereaved.

One of the suicide bombers, Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed, studied in Britain in the mid-2000s before returning to Sri Lanka and UK security services are assisting with the investigation.

Sri Lanka bombings: Simon Calder runs through the options for travellers in the region

Ruwan Wijewardene, the state minister of defence, said most of the attackers were “well-educated and come from middle or upper-middle class”.

Two of the bombers were brothers, sons of a wealthy spice trader and pillar of the business community.

Intelligence officials believe the attack was led by Zahran Hashmi, a Sri Lankan hate preacher who led the local Islamist group National Thowheed Jama’ath, also known as Mohamed Zahran.

A video released by Isis showed him and seven other attackers, including a female suicide bomber whose husband also blew himself up, pledging allegiance to the group.

The Sri Lankan prime minister ordered an investigation into intelligence failures after it emerged that security services had been warned of a plot to target Catholic churches weeks before the massacres.

Leaked letters named Zahran Hashmi and other suspects, including details of addresses, phone numbers and their movements.

Theresa May called the massacres “truly appalling”, adding: “No one should ever have to practise their faith in fear.”