KOCHI: A 10-year-old girl from Ernakulam suffered a bullet injury to the head in a shootout at a Turkish restaurant in Dalston, London, on Wednesday, that left three others also injured.
Lissel Maria, the daughter of Ajeesh and Vinaya, both IT professionals working in the UK, was wounded while having dinner with her family. Her condition is serious, it is learnt.
Ajeesh and his family, hailing from Gothuruth near North Paravoor, has been living in Birmingham for over two years. They had come to London to meet family friends and went to the restaurant for the get-together on Wednesday evening. While they were having food, a motorcyclist opened fire at the diners and fled.
“The child is on the ventilator. Even after major surgery, the doctors haven’t been able to remove the bullet,” said Mary Paul, Lissel’s grandmother. She said the child’s brain has swollen due to the depth of the wound.
“Another major operation is scheduled after two days,” she told TNIE. “We are praying to god for her survival and full recovery,” Mary said, adding that it is unknown whether the shooter has been arrested.