KOCHI: A popular eatery located at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium complex in Kaloor, i’Deli Cafe was getting ready for the evening rush hour when the steam boiler blast occurred, killing one of its employees and injuring four others.
If the explosion had happened 20-30 minutes later, the number of casualties would have gone up, said eyewitnesses. “Fortunately, there were only a few customers in the shop at the time,” said Muhammed Sulaiman, a regular customer who rushed to the scene upon hearing the blast.
According to owners and staff at nearby shops, the cafe is a popular food spot, typically crowded during morning and evening hours. At the time of the explosion, only around 20 customers were on the premises, with most of them seated outside the counter, which helped them escape unharmed.
Vishnu, who was playing cricket nearby, said he and his friends usually eat at the joint after their practice sessions at night.
“We heard the explosion while waiting for our friends to join practice,” he said, adding, “If this had happened yesterday at the same time, we might have been among the injured.”
“When we arrived at the scene on being alerted, most of the customers were safe, while some others had joined hands with locals to initiate rescue efforts,” an officer with Palarivattom police station said. “Our priority was to rush the injured to hospital, so we couldn’t immediately speak with the shop owner,” the officer said.