AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: Nearly 20 children from Gujarati families settled in Nairobi are reported missing in the terrorist siege of Westgate Mall which was ended by Kenyan forces on Tuesday, the fourth day of the stand-off. President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that five al-Shabaab terrorists had been killed and 11 taken into custody.
As eyewitness accounts of bodies of children lying strewn around the mall added to the anxiety of the families, Acharya Purshottam Priyadasji of the Ahmedabad-based Swaminarayan Gaadi Sansthan, which controls a string of temples in East Africa, said the toll of Indian-origin people could be much higher than anticipated. "I have spoken to many Gujaratis who have expressed fear that the casualty of Gujarati children may be high. Nearly 30-odd children are reportedly stuck inside the mall."
Pinal Brahmbhatt, a 29-year-old woman who works in a departmental store in Nairobi, told TOI over phone that there is no information about five children known to her. "There is unbearable tension in the whole Indian community over the missing kids," she said.
Shashi Sanghani, who runs a construction business in Nairobi, said 500-odd Gujarati children and parents were participating in a cooking competition at the mall when the gunmen stormed in and started firing indiscriminately. "I have been inside the mall thrice as a volunteer with the rescue team and I have seen a number of bodies of children," he said.
He said names of 51 missing people have been registered with the Kenya Red Cross, which includes 20 children from Gujarati families.
Arun Patel, a volunteer with the rescue and relief team, said bodies of children in the mall were the most heartbreaking sight he had ever encountered. "The operations are not yet completely over, so bodies and survivors are coming out only in a trickle. We just hope most parents are reunited with their children," said Patel.
As eyewitness accounts of bodies of children lying strewn around the mall added to the anxiety of the families, Acharya Purshottam Priyadasji of the Ahmedabad-based Swaminarayan Gaadi Sansthan, which controls a string of temples in East Africa, said the toll of Indian-origin people could be much higher than anticipated. "I have spoken to many Gujaratis who have expressed fear that the casualty of Gujarati children may be high. Nearly 30-odd children are reportedly stuck inside the mall."
Pinal Brahmbhatt, a 29-year-old woman who works in a departmental store in Nairobi, told TOI over phone that there is no information about five children known to her. "There is unbearable tension in the whole Indian community over the missing kids," she said.
Shashi Sanghani, who runs a construction business in Nairobi, said 500-odd Gujarati children and parents were participating in a cooking competition at the mall when the gunmen stormed in and started firing indiscriminately. "I have been inside the mall thrice as a volunteer with the rescue team and I have seen a number of bodies of children," he said.
He said names of 51 missing people have been registered with the Kenya Red Cross, which includes 20 children from Gujarati families.
Arun Patel, a volunteer with the rescue and relief team, said bodies of children in the mall were the most heartbreaking sight he had ever encountered. "The operations are not yet completely over, so bodies and survivors are coming out only in a trickle. We just hope most parents are reunited with their children," said Patel.
No comments:
Post a Comment