BackKerala blasts: ‘Opened my eyes to see fire, smoke in the hall’ explosion survivor recounts ,‘saw.. injured.. with burns'
Death toll from Kerala blasts climbed to 3 today following the death of a 12-year-old girl who succumbed to her injuries.
PremiumDeath toll from Kerala blasts climbed to 3 today following the death of a 12-year-old girl who succumbed to her injuries. A zonal conference of the Christian group Jehovah’s witnesses was ongoing at a convention centre in Kochi, Kerala when multiple explosions occurred.
Many more were left in injured with several undergoing treatment in Intensive Care Unit for burns following blasts triggered by an IED at a prayer meeting of a Christian group in Kerala’s Kochi on October 29.
VK Michael who is in his 50s and survived the blasts said that he closed his eyes for the opening prayer on the final day of a three-day event. Barely a minute into the prayer where 2,500 others present at the conference also closed their eyes in unison following which the explosion occurred at 9:30 am inside the hall, he said as reported by HT.
Also read: Kerala Blast LIVE Updates: Death toll rises to 3, 12-year-old girl passes away due to severe burns
Video footage showed a fire in the middle of the hall with thick plumes of smoke that rose upwards after which the explosion took place. The blast threw dozen of chairs around the hall with people running here and there for their lives, reported PTI.
Michael said, “I was shaken, and I opened my eyes to see fire and smoke in the hall. It took place in the middle of the hall near where the console was placed. I was just five rows behind, " who was dressed in a purple shirt and black cotton pants.
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He added, “Just two seconds later, there was a second blast and more fire and smoke. Without panicking and creating chaos, we slowly made our way to the exit doors. We are always given specific instructions from the organisers at these meetings on what to do during a fire or explosion. So, we followed their instructions and got out."
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Another survivor who was a middle-aged woman from Kadavanthra said, “We were seated towards the rear of the hall. When I opened my eyes, there was fire and smoke in the middle of the hall. Everyone was confused as to what really happened. Soon, the smoke engulfed the hall, and it became difficult to breathe, especially for the elderly."
She further said that those who were injured were first to be escorted out of the hall and then the rest moved towards the exit doors. "I saw a couple of the injured and they were in a bad state with burn injuries," she added.
Initial visuals inside the hall showed a fire in the middle with thick plumes of smoke rising upwards. Dozens of chairs were strewn around, indicating the panic of the attendees following the blasts.
Kuriachan KM from Angamaly town was in convention centre with his family who came for the three-day meet said, “I cannot believe something like this could happen at our event. It has never happened before in Kerala. I don’t know why anyone would do such a thing," reported HT.
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