New Delhi:

The death count from the series of blasts at a convention centre in Kerala’s Kalamassery increased to three on Monday.

A 12-year-old girl, who was among over 50 people injured in the blast at a Christian religious gathering on Sunday, died at the Kalamassery Government Medical College Hospital.

Libina from Kerala’s Ernakulam district was admitted to the hospital with severe burns covering 95 per cent of her body and was put on ventilator support.

Earlier, two women died and over 50 people were injured in multiple blasts at a Christian religious gathering in a convention centre in Kalamassery in the Ernakulam district. 

The blasts took place when hundreds of followers of the minority Christian group Jehovah’s Witnesses had assembled on the concluding day of a three-day-long prayer meeting.

Hours after the blasts, which sent shockwaves across the country and put Delhi and Mumbai on high alert, a man claiming to be a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, surrendered before police in Kerala’s Thrissur district.

IED used in Kerala blasts

The Kerala Police said that the Improvised Explosive Device was used in the blasts. The explosives were kept in a tiffin box, said sources.

According to officials, there were around 2,000 people at the convention centre when the blasts took place. Sunday was the last day of the three-day meeting, which started on October 27.

The blasts will now be probed by the National Investigation Agency, which specialises in counter-terrorism operations. The agency’s forensic team reached the spot on Sunday and collected evidence.

Police have registered an FIR against unknown persons under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC as well as provisions of the Explosives Act and the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

New Delhi:

Following the serial blasts during a prayer meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses at a convention centre in Kerala’s Kalamassery today, security has been tightened in the national capital and Mumbai.

The Delhi Police said that security has been stepped up in crowded areas of the city in view of the blasts. Similarly, the Mumbai Police has issued a high alert and increased security in view of the festive season, upcoming cricket matches, and the recent blasts in Kerala. Security has already been stepped up at Chabad House, a Jewish centre in Mumbai, owing to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

“The Special Cell of the Delhi Police is in constant touch with intelligence agencies and is taking any input seriously. Security arrangements are being made at crowded places,” the Delhi Police said in a statement.

One person was killed and 36 were injured in a series of explosions at the convention centre shortly after a prayer meeting began today. The meeting, held in Kalamassery which is about 10 kilometres from Kochi, was attended by nearly 2,000 people. Today was the final day of a three-day prayer meet which began on October 27. 

Kerala Police said that an improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the attack and that a special investigation team (SIT) would be formed to investigate the case. Sources have claimed that the explosive was placed in a tiffin box.

Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the phone following the string of explosions. Mr Shah ordered the heads of the NIA and NSG, two central agencies specializing in counterterrorism investigations and operations, to dispatch their specialised teams to the scene to begin an inquiry.