One dead, over 20 injured in blast at convention centre in Kerala
Kochi (PTI): One person died and over 20 were injured in a blast at a convention centre in Kalamassery here on Sunday morning, police said.
]People who were present at the convention centre told media that the first blast occurred in the middle of a prayer.
"Subsequently, we heard two more blasts," an old lady who was inside the centre said.
An officer of Kalamassery police said the cause of the blast or whether there was more than one was not confirmed.
State Industries Minister P Rajeev said the blast site is cordoned off and police and fire rescue have been pressed into service.
Rajeev said that reportedly few of the injured have suffered serious burns.
He said that all medical aid and facilities are available at the Kalamassery Medical College and if required, the injured can be shifted to other hospitals.
The minster said that information about the nature of the blast or if anyone was behind it was not known presently.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George urged government healthcare professionals to report for duty in the wake of the blast.
Another person present at the centre said there were over 2,000 people inside the hall when the incident occurred.
According to Police, a call was received around 9 am about the blast, seeking police assistance.
Visuals of the incident on TV channels showed fire rescue and police personnel in large numbers evacuating people from the site.
Disturbing visuals of the blast inside the convention centre showed multiple fires inside the hall as people and children were heard screaming in fear.
The video also showed some people trying to quell the fires as the hall was littered with scattered and damaged chairs.
Hundreds of people were seen outside the convention centre post the explosion.
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Body of UP girl who fell in Meghalaya waterfall recovered
Shillong (PTI): The body of a 15-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh who fell into a waterfall in Meghalaya's Sohra area while trying to take snaps a day ago was recovered on Thursday morning, officials said.
The girl had gone missing on Wednesday after she reportedly slipped while trying to take photographs and fell into one of the deep natural pools at the Wei Sawdong Falls, they said.
Search operations were conducted through Wednesday but were called off after sunset.
Around 7.30 am on Thursday, locals spotted the body stuck between rocks near the waterfall, officials said. Following this, a joint team of Fire and Emergency Services and the Sohra Police recovered the body around 10 am.
"Local village volunteers resumed the search early this morning and spotted the body, following which we recovered the body," a senior official told PTI.
The body has been sent for post-mortem, he added.
