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Booms in Bombay
At least two powerful explosions have struck the Indian city of Bombay, also known as Mumbai, police say. At least 10 people have been killed and dozens injured. Other reports put the death toll higher — the Reuters news agency quoted a police official as saying 25 people had been killed. One of the blasts occurred in a car park near the historic Gateway of India monument in the south of the city, according to police. At least one other took place near the Mumba Devi temple in central Bombay. Rajendra Darda, home minister of Maharashtra state, told AFP: "Both the blasts occurred in the back seats of parked taxis." Star Television reported that another bomb had exploded in the upmarket Marine Lines district. Other reports claim a fourth explosion at the Mumba Devi site. A number of vehicles parked around the Gateway of India were destroyed by the impact there. The force of the blast threw a number of people into the sea, said the BBCâs Sanjeev Srivastava at the scene. He said police had told him at least 40 people were injured by this blast. "The building we were in shook and we heard a loud noise," Ingrid Alva, a public relations consultant, told AP. "I rushed out and saw the crowds at the Gateway of India... We saw some body parts lying around, before we were told to move away by police." Police official PC Satam told Reuters news agency that the cause of the explosions was unclear at this stage. The city has been prey to a string of deadly bomb attacks since December last year, with the most recent, on a bus, killing three in July. Police blamed that attack on Pakistanâs Lashkar-e-Taiba Islamic militant group. Lashkar-e-Taiba is one of the two Pakistani rebel groups that Delhi blames for the December 2001 militant attack on its parliament which left 15 people dead, including five attackers. The latest attacks also coincided with the release of a report on the controversial religious site at Ayodhya. The dispute has been blamed for previous explosions in Bombay. Posted by: Bulldog 2003-08-25 |
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