1 Dead, 36 Injured in Serial Blasts at Prayer Meeting in Kerala

In a shocking incident, at least one person was killed while 36 others sustained injuries in a series of blasts that took place at a convention centre in Kerala on Sunday.

The incident was reported during a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention at the centre in Kalamassery where nearly 2,000 people attended. At least three blasts were reported minutes after the prayer meeting began.

According to reports, the first explosion took place in the middle of a prayer, however, the group had an evacuation plan that helped them to kick into action immediately after the first blast.

Kalamessery MP Hibi Eden was quoted by NDTV saying, “Luckily, they had an evacuation plan. Every time the group meets, they discuss and plan an evacuation plan. But there was a lot of smoke, which led to a stampede.”

Meanwhile, the blasts are currently being investigated by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) and the forensic team has reached the spot to collect evidence.