The death count from the series of blasts at a convention centre on Sunday in Kerala’s Kalamassery rose to three on Monday after a minor girl succumbed to burns. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired an all-party meeting in light of the attack.

A 12-year-old girl, Libina, who was among over 50 people injured in the blast at a Christian religious gathering, died at the Kalamassery Government Medical College Hospital.

Earlier, two women died and over 50 people were injured in multiple blasts at a Christian religious gathering in a convention centre in Kalamassery in the Ernakulam district.

Also Read: Kerala convention centre blast: 1 killed, 45 injured, man claiming to be member of Jehovah’s Witnesses takes responsibility – All you need to know

17 still hospitalized, 3 on ventilator support

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said, “We have 17 persons in different hospitals, 12 of them are in ICU, 4 are critically ill, 3 of them are on ventilator. We are giving every possible support… Those who are critically ill have burns above 50-60%… Four are critically ill, rest are almost stable… All of them have burns, but no other injuries are found. They have burns. Let the police conduct the inquiry, they will answer all the questions,” reported ANI.

She added, “We have started a helpline and we have received 143 calls… The priority at present is to save lives and we are giving maximum support… The CM is holding an all-party meeting right now, he will brief after the meeting.”

Kerala triple blasts

The blasts took place when hundreds of followers of the minority Christian group Jehovah’s Witnesses were assembling on the concluding day of a three-day-long prayer meeting. The first blast among the many explosions occurred at around 9.30 am, minutes after the prayer session began.

Hours after the blasts, which sent shockwaves across the country and put Delhi and Mumbai on high alert, a man claiming to be a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, surrendered before police in Kerala’s Thrissur district.

Also Read: Security beefed up in Delhi around churches after Kerala blast in convention centre

IED in Kerala blasts

The Kerala Police said that the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used in the blasts. The explosives were kept in a tiffin box, according to NDTV.

According to media reports, there were around 2,000 people at the convention centre when the blasts took place. Sunday was the last day of the three-day meeting, which started on October 27.

The blasts will now be probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which specialises in counter-terrorism operations. The agency’s forensic team reached the spot on Sunday and collected evidence.

Police have registered an FIR against unknown persons under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC as well as provisions of the Explosives Act and the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

(With inputs from agencies)