Boy in critical condition after Mombasa blasts

Written By:Margaret Kalekye/Agencies,    Posted: Sun, Apr 01, 2012

The Kenya Red Cross has established a tracing and Psychosocial support desk A twelve-year-old boy is fighting for his life at the at the Coast General Hospital's  Intensive Care Unit following Saturday's Mombasa twin explosions that left one person dead and over 30 others injured. Internal Security Minister Prof George Saitoti and Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere flew out to Mombasa Sunday morning where they held a series of security meetings before visiting the 11 victims still admitted to hospital. According to the Kenya Red Cross a total of 33 people among then an 11 year old girl received treatment for various injuries while 23were discharged. KRCS spokesperson Ms Nelly Muluka said four victims had undergone surgery. She said those injured were from Mtwapa and Tononoka adding that they had all been identified and were in touch with their relatives. " She however said  the adult who had died is yet to be identified. Two explosions rocked Mombasa town on Saturday evening, the first ever in the coastal town. Coast Provincial Commissioner Ernest Munyi told Reuters that one person died in the first attack on an open air, roadside Christian meeting in Mtwapa. He said the second explosion at a bar near Mombasa's main stadium caused no injuries. "Saturday evening, between 7.30 and 8.00, there were two explosive devices, which were simultaneously thrown at two different places," Munyi told Reuters. "We are trying to find out exactly what type of explosives these were," he said. He said one person died in an attack on an open air, roadside Christian meeting in Mtwapa, a town north of Mombasa renowned for its nightlife. "A van came and stopped ... then we heard the explosion. Some lay on the ground, while others started to run," said Davidson Kahindi, a worshipper who was injured in the ear. The blast comes barely three weeks after other explosive devices were thrown at Nairobi's Machakos Country Bus station killing six people and injuring 66 others. Since Kenya sent troops into Somalia late last year, two grenades have been thrown in Nairobi and a series of small-scale blasts have taken place in eastern towns close to the Somali border. Targets have ranged from police vehicles to bars. Saturday's blasts were the first such explosions reported in the coastal areas, which are among Kenya's great tourist magnets. The government has blamed previous attacks on Somali-based rebels al Shabaab, which formally merged with al Qaeda this year, but Munyi said it was too early to say who was behind the two blasts.