At least one person was killed and several were injured in a series of explosions at a convention centre in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Sunday where a Christian group was holding a prayer meeting.
The incident took place during a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention at the centre in Kalamassery, about 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) northeast of Kochi. The group was holding a three-day zonal convention that had seen more than 2,000 registrations, according to local media.
“One person has been killed, and two other people are critical, others are in the hospital,” Pinarayi Vijayan, chief minister of the southern state of Kerala told reporters. “Further details are being ascertained.”
He said the incident was very unfortunate and that the police have taken it very seriously. He said police are collecting the details.
Local assistant police commissioner P V Baby, speaking to AFP, said one woman had been killed, while five others had suffered significant burns from flames during three-day prayer meetings attended by some 2,500 people.
The health and medical education departments have been instructed to provide high-quality treatment, said Kerala’s health minister, Veena George.
P Rajeev, Kerala’s industry minister, told reporters that the cause of the explosion could not be immediately determined.
“A detailed investigation is on. The reason can be known only after the investigation,” he said.
The Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported at least three “blasts” at a convention centre in Kalamassery during a prayer meeting on Sunday morning. It gave no further details on the cause.
Local newspaper Mathrubhumi also said at least three explosions occurred inside the convention hall, with more than 23 people injured. The injured have been rushed to hospitals.
“The explosion occurred seconds after the end of a prayer as part of the day’s event. The first blast took place in the middle of the hall. Seconds later, two more explosions rocked simultaneously on either sides of the hall,” TA Sreekumar, regional spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses told mathrubhumi.com.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are an international Christian denomination that was founded in the United States around 1870. They are best known in many countries for door-to-door evangelism.
The movement, which preaches non-violence and is politically neutral, has a long history of being persecuted. It is a millennial faith, meaning its members believe that the end of the world is near and that God’s kingdom will soon rule over the earth.
Around two per cent of India’s 1.4 billion people are Christian, according to the last census.
