Kerala Blast: The death toll from the serial blasts at a Christian religious gathering in the convention centre of Kalamassery town in Kerala has risen to three. According to an official statement, a 12-year-old girl, identified as Libina from Malayattoor in Ernakulam district, succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of Monday. This marks the third casualty from the blasts at the convention centre. Two women who were part of the gathering had lost their lives on Sunday.
Following the attack, a man, Dominic Martin, claimed responsibility for the blast and surrendered before the police. He said he was a member of the religious group but had been angered by some of its teachings.
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Chief Minister Vijayan announced a 20-member probe team to investigate the matter. The CM has also called an all-party meeting for Monday.
Kerala Police on Sunday issued a warning against propagating fake news through social media platforms regarding the incident.
The Christian girl was admitted to the hospital on Sunday morning with severe burns covering 95 per cent of her body. Despite receiving ventilator support, her condition continued to deteriorate, leading to her death at 12.40 am, official statement said.
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Kerala | One more dead in Kalamassery blast. The total death toll stands at 3. The 12-year-old girl was admitted to Ernakulam Govt Medical College on Oct 29. She suffered 95% burns and was being treated on a ventilator. Later she became unresponsive to medicines and died today at…
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2023
Union Minister Anurag Thakur slammed Congress and said, "Who are these people who want to create chaos here from outside." "I condemn the bomb blast incident in Kerala...," Thakur said. "The silence of Rahul Gandhi who is an MP (Wayanad) from the state, clearly shows that Congress is silently supporting them..."
The blasts in Kerala led to heightened security in crowded places in the national capital.
Police officials have flagged that the Improvised Explosive Device was used in the blasts. The explosives were kept in a tiffin box, as per reports.
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).
Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan called the death and injuries a horrific tragedy and said that this was unacceptable in a democracy and a rule-of-law society.
Over 50 individuals were injured, some seriously, during the multiple blasts at the international convention centre in Kalamassery where the followers from the minority Christian group, Jehovah's Witnesses, had gathered for the final day of a three-day-long prayer meeting.