By Aaron Miller-
Fifteen people have been injured at a birthday party, following a bomb set off in an Indian restaurant in Canada.
The two suspects fled the scene after detonating what police have described as an “improvised explosive device” inside the Bombay Bhel restaurant in Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto, on Thursday at about 10.30pm, Canadian time.
Three of those people suffered “critical blast injuries,” and were rushed to a Toronto trauma centre, according to Peel paramedics.
Peel Regional Police say they are now listed in stable condition.
Two suspects in the explosion are still on the loose.
According to police, two males with their faces concealed, entered the Bombay Bhel restaurant, 5035 Hurontario St., dropped an IED and fled, Sgt. Matt Bertram told reporters after the explosion. Police received a call about the incident at about 10:30 p.m. ET.
Police are describing one suspect as male, 5’10” to 6′ with a stocky build, in his mid-20s. He is believed to have been wearing dark blue jeans, a dark zip-up hoodie pulled over his head, a baseball cap with a light grey peak, with his face covered with black cloth.
The second is a male around 5’9 to 5’10” with fair skin, a thin build, faded blue jeans, a dark hoodie pulled over his head along with a grey T-shirt and dark skate shoes.
Sergeant Matt Bertram told The New York Times the men put down what appeared to be a paint can or bucket which exploded after they had gone. It was filled with “projectable objects” he said.
We have no indication to call it a hate crime or any kind of terrorism act,” Peel Regional Police Sgt. Matt Bertram said.
The blast at the Bombay Bhel restaurant was reported at 10:30 p.m. ET, a half hour after closing time.
Three people were critically injured, according to police.
Twelve others suffered minor injuries.
Canadian broadcaster CBC reported that Rafael Conceicao, a student from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was on the patio of a nearby restaurant when he heard the explosion, and rushed to help.
“Glass was broken in the street,” he said. “There was a child’s birthday party. Everything was destroyed. Lots of blood in the floor. Many people were screaming. Many people were bleeding so much.”
Local resident Martin Cybelius, who lives around 2.5 miles south of the restaurant, told the Toronto Star that he experienced what felt like a “small earthquake.”
