Explosive Device Blows Up at Convention Center in South India Killing at Least One and Wounding 36

Indian citizens stand at the site of the incident (local media)
Indian citizens stand at the site of the incident (local media)
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Explosive Device Blows Up at Convention Center in South India Killing at Least One and Wounding 36

Indian citizens stand at the site of the incident (local media)
Indian citizens stand at the site of the incident (local media)

An explosive device blew up at a convention center in southern India killing at least one person and wounding 36 others Sunday, authorities said.
Hundreds of Jehovah’s Witness faithful were gathered for a prayer session at the Zamra International Convention Center in the town of Kalamassery in Kerala state when the explosion took place, The Associated Press said.
The state’s top police officer, Sheik Darvesh Saheb, said an initial investigation has revealed an improvised explosive device was used.
The wounded, many of them with burn injuries, were transported to hospital for treatment, he said.
Videos filmed right after the blast and shared online showed fire inside the convention center and rescuers helping people evacuate the building.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters police were investigating the “unfortunate incident.”
Police and medical personnel were put on high alert state-wide.
Jehovah’s Witnesses identify as Christians but are guided by distinctive beliefs and practices. They are known for their door-to-door proselytism.



54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
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54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa

Over 50 migrants were headed to the Italian island of Lampedusa Sunday after a charity ship rescued them from an abandoned oil platform in the Mediterranean, where one woman gave birth.

The vessel Astral, operated by the Spain-based NGO Open Arms, rescued the 54 people overnight, the group said in a statement.

The migrants had been trapped on the oil platform for three days after their rubber boat shipwrecked following their departure from Libya on Tuesday, Open Arms said.

On Friday, one of the migrants gave birth to a boy, while another woman had given birth days before. Two other young children were among the group, Open Arms said, according to AFP.

Later Sunday, the charity said that, following the rescue of those on the oil platform, the Astral came upon another 109 people, including four people in the water.

That group, which included 10 children, had also departed from Libya, it said.
Open Arms said they provided life jackets to the migrants before they were rescued by another charity ship, the Louise Michel, which is sponsored by street artist Banksy.

The Louise Michel, a former French navy vessel, was transporting the migrants to a safe port in Sicily, Open Arms said.

It is not unusual for migrants crossing the Mediterranean on leaky and overcrowded boats to seek refuge on offshore oil platforms.

As of June 1, some 23,000 migrants had reached Italy by sea this year, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).