“I had simply taken my order when my mom known as, and I moved 10–15 metres from the meals counter. Seconds later, I heard a loud noise, and noticed smoke throughout,” an eyewitness to the blast at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe on Friday advised IndiaToday.in.
Recounting the horror, Kumar Alankrit, a software program engineer hailing from Bihar’s Patna, who shared the first video of the blast at the cafe, mentioned he had by no means encountered a scenario like this earlier than.
Alankrit, who had gone to have lunch on the Whitefield department of Rameshwaram Cafe, returned dwelling shaken from the incident that left 9 individuals injured.
Nevertheless, he claimed that greater than 15 individuals suffered accidents, and he noticed a number of with burn accidents and bleeding from their ears.
Alankrit, who was working from dwelling on Friday, went to have lunch at round 12.30 pm on the cafe, a stone’s throw away from his rented accomodation at Brookefield.
“I ordered one idly and one dosa. After ending my idly, I went to the dosa counter. I normally sit across the space close to the dosa pickup level,” the 24-year-old mentioned.
“However at this time, as I picked up my dosa, my mom known as me. Because it was too noisy contained in the cafe, I went to the out of doors sitting space and was speaking to my mom when abruptly I heard a loud bang from behind,” he mentioned.
Alankrit mentioned it was a near-stampede-like scenario as an enormous crowd of shoppers rushed exterior. “This a lot loud sound I by no means heard in my Life. I noticed numerous smoke coming from the kitchen space,” he mentioned.
The software program engineer mentioned a number of individuals suffered accidents within the blast. He mentioned whereas the garments of a number of individuals have been burnt, some have been bleeding from their ears.
“One lady’s garments bought ripped off from behind. One other individual was bleeding from his head. Two aged girls of their 80s have been bleeding and other people have been placing on cotton bandages,” Alankrit mentioned.
“There have been greater than 5 Rameshwaram Cafe staff critically injured. Considered one of them was crying. Many individuals have been holding their ears due to the loud sound,” he additional mentioned.
He mentioned the scenario got here underneath management after ambulances and hearth brigade personnel arrived. “I might see the worry seen on individuals’s faces. Folks have been crying because of the shock at what simply occurred,” he additional mentioned.
Earlier than signing off, Alankrit recounted the well timed name from his mom as he might have suffered accidents if he hadn’t come exterior.
“Right this moment I bought saved attributable to my mom. If her name didn’t come at the moment, I’d have been sitting close to the counter the place I normally sit each time and will have been injured. That is why we are saying, moms are like God,” Alankrit mentioned.