Mobiles lost, people on fire were rolling on floors, says witnesses at Jehovah’s convention

Kochi: The entire state had woken up to the shocking news of explosions at the Jehovah’s witnesses convention in Kochi on Sunday. 

“The entire hall was immersed in religious fervour. We had closed our eyes in prayers. All of a sudden we heard a sudden explosion, we were frozen with fear. Three blasts in a row, one from the centre and onto our left and right, it was traumatic,” recollects witnesses.

The blast happened at the closing ceremony of the three-day long convention of the Jehovah witnesses. The participants had gathered at the prayer hall by 9:30 AM on Sunday. People ran in panic following the explosions. Over 2,300 individuals are reported to have been present at the Zamra convention centre which was rattled by the explosions.

“Things were thrown into the air in the force of the explosion. People were running for their lives. Amidst the rush, I had seen a frantic woman with her churidar on fire. She must have suffered burns on her entire body. Many people were injured in the stampede as well,” says a witness.

The participants in the meetings said that they don’t remember seeing anything explosive in the venue before the incident.

“Individuals on fire were rolling on the floor. Several people lost their mobile phones in the rush,” recollects witnesses.