In a harrowing turn of events, a convention center in the southern Indian state of Kerala was marred by a series of explosions on Sunday, resulting in at least one fatality and several individuals left injured, as per local media sources.
The tragic incident unfolded within the confines of the convention center situated in Kalamassery, located approximately 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) northeast of the bustling city of Kochi, where a gathering of Jehovah’s Witnesses was in progress.
At this time, efforts to obtain immediate comments from local law enforcement authorities have proven unavailing.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses, a nontrinitarian millenarian restorationist Christian denomination, had congregated at the center for their event. According to accounts offered by witnesses and local newspaper Mathrubhumi, a series of explosions disrupted the proceedings within the convention hall. The tumultuous ordeal left more than 23 attendees with injuries of varying degrees of severity, and they have since been expeditiously transported to nearby medical facilities for prompt medical attention.
TA Sreekumar, the regional spokesperson representing the Jehovah’s Witnesses, conveyed that the initial detonation transpired mere moments after the conclusion of a prayer, an integral segment of the day’s program. The first explosion rocked the central part of the convention hall, only to be followed in rapid succession by two more detonations, occurring simultaneously on opposite sides of the hall. The shock and chaos that ensued within the hall were indeed devastating, casting a pall of sorrow over the gathering.
This grievous incident has left the community in shock and mourning, as investigations into its cause and the full extent of the casualties continue.
