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15 Dead, Dozens hurt in blasts in north Indian temple town
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Dozens of people were hurt in at least two separate explosions on Tuesday in the north Indian pilgrimage town of Varanasi, an official said. One explosion was reported in a packed Hindu temple and another occurred in the railway station, a federal interior ministry official told Reuters. Temple-studded Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh state, is one of the holiest cities for India's majority Hindu population.Additional: At least 15 people have been killed and 60 wounded by three suspected terrorist explosions in the Indian Hindu pilgrimage city of Varanasi. Navneet Sikera, senior superintendent of police for Varanasi said: "Fifteen people have died and about 60 are injured. "The blasts were pretty big, and I do not rule out a terrorist hand behind it." Three blasts happened 45 minutes apart. One explosion was reported in a packed Hindu temple and another occurred in the railway station. A fourth bomb was also recovered from a residential area and was being defused. Temple-studded Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh state, is one of the holiest cities for India's majority Hindu population. Most previous attacks on Hindu temples in India have been blamed on Islamic militants. "I cannot say which outfit was responsible for the ghastly attack but since one of the places of attack is a temple it has a potential of creating suspicion and tension among different communities," said the Interior Ministry. Posted by: Steve 2006-03-07 |
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