Nevertheless, the atmosphere at the military hospital appeared normal after the morning bombing as other areas of the hospital were operating as usual, while security at the hospital had been stepped up with police and military officers guarding the area.

Medical personnel and people affected by the attack said they were particularly concerned because it had occurred at a hospital, which is considered off limits to such attacks by internationally accepted norms and treaties.

An assistant nurse at the hospital who identified herself only as “Chu” described a feeling of insecurity in the wake of the blast.

“I was working when I heard the noise of the blast and breaking glass. At first, I thought the transformer had exploded, but it had not, and right after the blast I heard people screaming,” she said.

After she realised that something wrong had happened, she asked patients and their family members in her ward to remain calm until the area was declared safe. “I did not panic, because my ward is on the seventh floor, while the attack was on the first floor. However, after the incident, I felt a fear for my safety, because even in a safe area like in the hospital, it was such an inhumane attack,” she said.

“This is a public area, with many people roaming freely and there are not enough security officers to check everyone’s bags for bombs. I hope that the police will track down and arrest the attacker soon.”

Another nurse identified as “Fah” also said that she felt unsafe working at the hospital after the bombing.

“We [medical staff] are working very busily, because our hospital has a lot of patients and we cannot look out for every suspicious thing. I feel like all of the staff could be a target for such an attack at anytime,” Fah said.

“There were many elderly people at the bomb site. I can’t believe that there could be such a cruel attack in the hospital.”