Bomb Blasts Near Indian Para-badminton Players' Hotel in Uganda, Team Safe

The Indian para-badminton are in Kampala, where two explosions in the centre of Uganda’s capital killed at least two people and set several cars on fire on Tuesday.

The Indian team comprising Pramod Bhagat, Manoj Sarkar are in Kampala, Uganda to take part in the Uganda Para-Badminton International 2021.

The Indian shuttlers are in a hotel, close to which one of the blasts occurred. The Para-Badminton India Twitter handle posted a video of the incident and added that the players are safe.

Chief coach of Indian para badminton team, Gaurav Khanna said the blasts happened around 100 metres away from the hotel but everyone is safe and there is nothing to worry.

“Few players were leaving for the badminton hall when there was this blast. It led to lot of choas on the street. We also immediately went back but now things are fine. We have spoken to the embassy and there is nothing to worry,” Khanna told PTI.

“It won’t have any affect on our schedule and the tournament also goes on. We have a big contingent, including 54 players who are competing in the tournament.”

Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat, who is part of the Indian contingent, participating in tournament also said they are safe and there was nothing to worry.

“We are safe. There was a blast. Nothing to worry. It has not affected our schedule. We didn’t feel it much. There was little chaos but everyone is safe and the tournament will go on as schedule,” Bhagat, who will open his campaign on Wednesday, told PTI.

“We are 15 Indians players in our hotel, there are 15-20 players in another hotel too but all are safe.”NTV Uganda said “scores” had been injured and there had been two blasts – one very close to parliament and one near the central police station. Parliament was being evacuated, the television station reported.

An NTV Uganda reporter said he saw two bodies. The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.

“First responders included Red Cross personnel who were using fire extinguishers to curb the fire on Parliamentary Avenue,” the station said on Twitter.

A Ugandan military spokesperson, Brigadier Flavia Byekwaso, told Reuters that there had been “multiple” blasts and “multiple” casualties but declined to give further details.

Irene Nakasiita, spokesperson at the Uganda Red Cross, said they would release information about the blasts later. The spokesperson for Uganda’s police did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

Ugandan soldiers are fighting al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents in Somalia as part of an African Union peacekeeping force. Al Shabaab has carried out several deadly bombings in Uganda.

(With inputs from Agencies)