One woman was killed and 52 people were injured, including five critically, after a series of blasts rocked a convention centre where a prayer meeting of Christian denomination Jehovah’s Witnesses was held. Police said the explosion occurred at 9:30 a.m. at Zamra Convention Centre in the suburb of Kalamassery.
The first blast took place in the middle of the hall and was followed by two more on either side of the room. Eyewitnesses say there were over 2,000 people in the convention centre for the prayer meet. The state police confirmed the explosions as “IED blasts” but said the victim’s death was caused by the fire ignited by the blast.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijay termed the incident “unfortunate”. “We are collecting details regarding the incident. All top officials are there in Ernakulam. The DGP is heading to Kalamassery. We are taking it very seriously,” the chief minister said. On whether he suspects a terror angle, the chief minister said he can comment on the matter only after getting the details. State Industries Minister P Rajeev said that the blast site has been cordoned off and police and fire rescue teams have been pressed into service.
Ernakulam District Collector N S K Umesh said of the injured, 10 people have been admitted to the burns unit of the Kalamassery Medical College and of them two, suffering from over 50 per cent burns, have been shifted to another hospital. “Besides that, eight people were admitted in the general ward of the medical college and the remaining 18 were under observation in various other hospitals. The identity of the woman who died in the incident is not yet known,” Umesh said.
Footages from inside the hall show fire raging as people, including children, scream. People were seen trying to douse the flames as chairs lay scattered. On hearing the news, hundreds thronged the convention centre,following which police had to cordon off the area. “We all rushed out. That’s all what we know. Got everybody to safety. We’re going to meet the officers so we’ll know what the situation is..,” Saju, committee member said. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and took stock of the situation.
The teams of the anti-terror force National Security Guard (NSG) and anti-terror probe agency National Investigation Agency (NIA) will reach the state following a directive of the home minister to assist the state government. On the other hand, a man has surrendered before the Kerala Police in connection with the serial blasts, said Kerala ADGP (law and order) MR Ajith Kumar.
The alleged accused has been identified as Dominic Martin claiming that he belonged to the same group of sabha. “One person has surrendered in Kodakra Police Station, in Thrissur Rural, claiming that he has done it. His name is Dominic Martin and he claims that he belonged to the same group of sabha. We are verifying it. We are looking into all aspects of this case…The blast took place in the central part of the hall,” Kerala ADGP (law and order) MR Ajith Kumar said.
