Lagatar24 Desk
Kochi, Oct 29: Multiple explosions occurred during a Jehovah’s Witness prayer meeting in the Kalamassery neighbourhood of Kochi, Kerala, on Sunday morning, resulting in one fatality and injuries to 36 people, the Ernakulam District Collector stated.
The first explosion happened at around nine in the morning, according to Kalamassery CI Vibin Das whereas several explosions occurred over the course of the next hour.
When the explosions occurred, around 2,000 people were present at the prayer meeting, according to officials.
According to a Kalamassery police official, the cause of the explosion remains unclear. The blast apparently took place at a convention centre of a Christian group. In the meantime, a team of four members from the NIA quickly arrived at the scene to conduct a joint investigation with the local police.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has confirmed that one person has lost their life and two others are in critical condition and further stated, “It’s a very unfortunate incident. We are collecting details regarding the incident. All top officials in Ernakulam are there. We are taking it very seriously. I have spoken to the DGP and we will get more details after the investigation.”
Industries Minister and Kalamassery MLA P Rajeev stated that they have not yet determined the reason of the explosion. “I have spoken to all officials. All directions have been issued. We are yet to identify the cause. Let all the inspections be completed. Nobody will be allowed near the spot as of now,” he said.
The incident occurred the day after Khaled Mashal, the former head of the terrorist organization Hamas, virtually addressed a pro-Palestine demonstration in the midst of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
Israel’s ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, responded to the Hamas leader’s participation in the protest on Saturday by posting on his X handle, “Mashal calls participants to: Take the streets and show anger, prepare for jihad (against Israel), support Hamas financially, promote Palestinian narrative on social media, it’s time to add #HamasISIS to #India’s terror list.”
