NEW DELHI, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- A man has claimed responsibility for a series of blasts at a convention center Sunday in the southern Indian state of Kerala that killed two and injured over 50 others, officials said.
The 48-year-old man, identified as Dominic Martin, surrendered himself to a police station, said M R Ajith Kumar, a senior police officer.
The blasts took place during a prayer meeting at the Zamra International Convention Center in Kalamassery near Kochi city, about 206 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala.
Local media reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the prayer meeting was attended by around 2,000 people.
Kerala Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb said preliminary investigations showed an improvised explosive device was used in the blasts.
Videos from inside the convention center showed multiple fires inside the hall as people were heard screaming in fear. Fire tenders were quickly dispatched to the spot.
Officials said the injured have been admitted to various hospitals nearby and 18 of them were in critical condition.
India's anti-terror National Investigation Agency has rushed its team from Kochi to the spot to probe the blasts, and entire Kerala has been put on high alert following the blasts, India's state-run broadcaster All India Radio said. ■
