KOCHI: The death toll from the series of blasts in Kalamassery during a Jehovah's Witnesses prayer meeting on October 29 has now climbed to eight. The latest victim, Lilly John (76), a native of Thodupuzha - Vandamattom, succumbed to burn injuries on Saturday evening at Aster Medcity.
Lilly's husband, K A John (77), had previously passed away in the blast on December 2. Hospital sources reported that Lily suffered a cardiac arrest leading to her demise. The death was confirmed around 3 am. Lily John, survived by her three children - Lijo, Liji, and Linto, hailed from Thodupuzha.
Other victims of the tragic incident include Leona Paulose (55) from Iringol, Perumbavoor; Kumari (52) from Kaliyar, Thodupuzha; Moly Joy (61) from Kalamassery, and Malayattoor natives Praveen Pradeepan (24), Libna (12), and Saly Pradeepan (45).
During the multiple blasts at the international convention centre in Kalamassery, over 50 people were injured, some seriously.
A few hours after the incident, a man named Dominic Martin, claiming to be an estranged member of Jehovah's Witnesses, surrendered before the police in Thrissur district, asserting that he carried out the multiple blasts.