BOMB ATTACK AS PEOPLE WATCHING ENGLAND VS ITALY IN MOMBASA

An attack victim being helped at the Coast General Hospital in Mombasa

One person was killed and several others injured in a grenade attack in a bar and restaurant in Mishomoroni estate in Mombasa, Kenya on Sunday night.

The attack occurred at around 10p.m. at the so called Jericho Beer Garden in the sprawling Mombasa estate.The dead man and the injured were at the outer section of the bar dancing to the music when the explosion occurred in three successive rounds.

The inner section of the pub was full of customers who had gathered to watch the European championships football match between England and Italy.

Police in Kenya said one person died, but St John Ambulance personnel who helped with rescue efforts put the number of fatalities at three. 

Security Officers helping an attack victim

This happened one day after US Embassy issued warning of an imminent terror attack on Mombasa.

Witnesses said they heard three loud explosions followed by screams.The scene was littered with debris of broken bottles and crates of beer.Police immediately cordoned off the area marking it as a crime scene and picked the body of the young man who was killed in the explosion.

A witness Mr Emmanuel Omondi said he was in the pub and had escorted a friend who was leaving and had just walked a few steps away when he heard the explosions.

“At first I thought it was the transformer which had blown up because it has been having problems. But immediately thereafter I heard a second blast and then a third one,” he narrated.

He said the man who died in the explosions was one of those who were on the dance floor.

He and other customers who escaped unhurt helped carry some of the injured to `matatus`(local passenger buses) that rushed them to hospital before the St John Ambulance team arrived.

Security Officers arrive at the scene

Provincial Police boss Aggrey Adoli arrived at the scene with a team from the Anti-Terrorism, Police and Criminal Investigations Department officers and helped seal off the area.

A nine year old boy was among the people injured. , some with serious injuries.

Mr Adoli could not confirm whether it was a terrorist attack and said police could not link it to the American alert since it targeted locals and not American citizens.

He told Coast province residents not to panic saying the security situation was not alarming and was still in control.

 According to reports this morning, Anti -Terror Police officers have one suspect in custody connected to last night attack.  Coast PPO Aggrey Adoli said preliminary investigations indicate that they were three explosions at the scene and heavy gun shots.

Some of attack victims at Coast General Hospital in Mombasa

  

 At least 28 victims of the attack were taken to the Coast Provincial General Hospital with one person admitted in the ICU. Nurse incharge, Stella Ndivo says five were treated and discharged while others still admitted sustained bullet and soft tissue injuries, among them a 9 year old boy.

 Last week,Kenyan police arrested two Iranians after they seized chemicals they suspected were going to be used to make explosives in Mombasa.

 Police arrested the Iranians on Wednesday of last week in Nairobi. On the same day, police impounded a container in Mombasa originating from Iraq and suspected to be carrying explosives.

On the following day, police flew one of the suspects to Mombasa, where he led police to recover 15 kg of powder, which security experts took to their laboratory for testing.

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