One killed, many injured as multiple explosions rock Kerala prayer meeting

Kochi : One person died and several more were injured after a multiple explosions took place at a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Kalamassery area of Kerala's Kochi on Sunday morning, police said.

Kalamassery CI Vibin Das said the first explosion took place around 9 am and multiple blasts followed thereafter, over the next one hour.

Sunday was the last day of the three-day meeting, which started on October 27.

According to officials, more than 2,000 people were attending the prayer meeting when the blasts took place.

The incident came a day after former chief of the terrorist group Hamas, Khaled Mashal, virtually addressed a pro-Palestine protest amid the Israeli military offensive in Gaza.

Reacting to the participation of the Hamas leader in the protest on Saturday, Israel's ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, posted from his X handle, "Mashal calls participants to: Take the streets and show anger, prepare for jihad (against Israel), support Hamas financially, promote Palestinian narrative on social media, it's time to add #HamasISIS to #India's terror list."