Twin explosions rock Mombasa

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Photo/DANIEL NYASSY/NATION Police secure the scene of the blast in Mombasa on March 31, 2012. 

By SUNDAY NATION TEAM newsdesk@ke.natiomedia.com
Posted  Saturday, March 31  2012 at  22:42

At least one person was killed when two explosions rocked Mombasa town on Saturday evening.

The blasts occured at a busy bus terminus in Mtwapa and a restaurant in Mombasa town.

In Mtwapa, explosives were hurled at a Christian prayer meeting, fifteen kilometres from Mombasa town centre, at about 6.30pm.

The second attack took place shortly afterwards at a restaurant near the Mombasa Municipal Stadium.

At least 26 people were reported injured in the attack at the prayer gathering.  However, Sunday Nation could not independently verify the casualty figures.

In the second attack, at the Stadium View Bar and Restaurant, a police officer is said to have sustained serious injuries. The second attack took place at around 7.45pm.

Coast Provincial Commissioner Mr Ernest Munyi confirmed the explosions, saying that one person, a woman, had died in the Mtwapa incident.

While official sources reported that one person had died, unconfirmed reports indicated that the dead may have been four.

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Mvita MP Najib Balala said that a second explosion had occurred at an entertainment spot near the Municipal stadium almost simultaneously.

“I have heard that besides the explosion in Mtwapa, there has been another one at an entertainment spot at the Buxton area near the Mombasa Municipal Stadium.

“I am trying to get further details from my contacts who live near the area where the second explosion has occurred. The details are still scanty,” he explained.

A senior police officer who, cannot be named because he is not authorised to speak on behalf of the force, said the Mtwapa prayer gathering was coming to an end when the device exploded, sending the congregation scampering to safety.

The officer who was among the first to rush to the scene said the incident occurred at around 6.30pm, sparking a major stampede in the area.

“It is hard to tell whether it was a grenade or a bomb, we are still investigating,” the officer stated.

The PC said that emergency services had been mobilised to undertake rescue efforts and ferry the injured to hospitals. He said the injured, three of them in critical condition, were taken to Coast General  Hospital.
Reports by Mark Agutu, Daniel Nyassy and Peter Leftie