Kalamassery Bomb Blast: 3 Dead, All Party Meet Today - Top 10 Developments

The toll from the blast at at a Jehovah's Witnesses prayer meeting in Kerala rose to three after a 12-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of Monday

More than 2,000 people were attending a three-day Jehovah's Witnesses prayer meeting at a convention center in Kalamassery, near the port city of Kochi, when the blast ripped through the crowd.

Check Out Top 10 Developments In The Case

1. The first blast occurred around 9.40 am in Zamrah International Convention Centre in Kalamassery, State Police Chief Shaikh Darvesh Saheb said.
2. There were conflicting reports about the number of blasts as state Ministers V N Vasavan and Antony Raju said there were two blasts, while Congress MP from Ernakulam, Hibi Eden, said there were multiple blasts according to one of his friends who attended the convention.
3. There were around 2,300 people present at the venue when the blasts rocked the centre.
4. The blasts occurred during the convention of the Jehovah's Witnesses -- a Christian religious group that originated in the United States of America in the 19th century.
5. Hours after the incident, a man surrendered to police and claimed to be the perpetrator of the explosions. Earlier, he released a video message on social media, claiming to be a former member of the church who no longer agreed with its beliefs. Police said they are "examining his claims and the reasons given for carrying out the act", according to The Times of India.
6. Recounting her shocking experience, a senior woman said, "when I opened my eyes after hearing the first blast, all I saw was a fireball in front of me. Nothing...nothing more...just a fireball. Everybody ran scattered here and there.
7. "I was standing at the side of the hall, praying with my eyes closed. Suddenly, a shocking blast was heard from nearby. I saw only fire around and ran to the door along with others," he said, wiping away tears. In all his years of attending the convention the attendee had never witnessed anything like this before, he said. Another woman, her hands placed on her forehead, struggled to find the strength to recall the events during the prayers. "There were several elderly people and children among the participants," she said, her voice quivering with emotion.
8. Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the National Security Guard (NSG) to probe the incident and spoken to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
9. Several states are on high alerts in view of the Kerala incidents. Also security around churches have been beefed up in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
10. Chief Minister Vijayan announced a 20-member probe team to investigate the matter. An all-party meeting has been called by the CM.