Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called an all-party meeting on Monday in the wake of a series of blasts that jolted a Christian group's convention centre in Kerala's Kalamassery on Sunday, news agency ANI quoted CMO as saying. The meeting will begin at 10 am at the Chief Minister's Conference Hall in the Secretariat.
Also read: Delhi On High Alert Following Kerala Convention Centre Blast
The state has been put on high alert with a four-member National Investigation Agency (NIA) team probing the matter.
Multiple blasts, that took place at the convention centre in Kalamassery, have left one dead and several injured. The cause of the blasts hasn’t yet been ascertained. However, Kerala DGP said preliminary investigation suggests that there was use of IEDs for the blast.
The explosion took place at around 9:40 am within the church, where approximately 2,500 people were present at that time. Widespread chaos was witnessed at the church after the incident. Many people present there sustained burn injuries. Kerala Health Minister Veena George ordered all the health workers on leave to return immediately. Talking to the media, she said,"52 people admitted to different hospitals…30 people are admitted here, out of which 18 are in ICU and 6 are critically injured, among those 6, one is a 12-year-old child. The rest of the injured are in other private hospitals…the dead person has not been identified yet."
Also read: Multiple Blasts At Convention Centre In Ernakulam, One Dead And Several Injured
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan expresses grief over the tragic incident. “Shocked to hear about the blast at a religious gathering at Kalamassery, killing one person and injuring over 20. Heartfelt condolences to the kin of the deceased and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the Kerala Raj Bhavan said.
The case hasn't yet been transferred to the NIA but the investigative agency's SP is reportedly present at the incident site.