'We thought it was a prank'

When caretaker Owen Pereira (48) first heard the sound of the blast, he thought it was a prank by students at the school. He recounted with horror to in.com, the events that tore apart a bus stop near Kabootarkhana at Dadar, near Antonio da Silva High School where he works.
"School had shut for the day as the last class ends at 6 pm. However most of the administrators were still around. Suddenly at 7, we heard a huge blast and our first thought was that maybe some of the children had lit some crackers in the school yard. But when we rushed to the ground, I was shocked to see a huge cloud of smoke and fire coming from the bus stop that is visible from the school premises," said Pereira.


The staffers immediately sealed off the three entrances to the school, worried that the attackers might flee into the premises - as had happened during the 26/11 attacks, when Kasab and another terrorist had taken refuge in Cama Hospital after firing at commuters at CST station. The blast did, however, cause some damage to the school structure, shattering window panes and causing cracks in the walls of the institution that is over 100 years old.

Classes resumed this morning, but school was shut early at 9.30 am. "Buses were unable to reach the school because of the heavy bandobast. Also the heavy rain was making it difficult for children to attend, so we have stopped classes early," said Pereira.