Six explosions hit Bombay's commuter rail network during rush hour Tuesday evening, ripping apart train compartments and reportedly injuring dozens of people, police and Indian media said. Indian television news channels broadcast video of the wounded sprawled on train tracks and being carried through stations. The Press Trust of India news agency said six blasts occurred along the city's commuter rail network, which is among the most crowded in the world. India's financial center of Bombay and the capital of New Delhi were reportedly on high alert.More details...
Seven bombs hit Bombay's commuter rail network during rush hour Tuesday evening, killing at least 105 people and wounding more than 300 in what authorities called a well-coordinated attack.
| Unlike the usual ill-coodinated attacks that are the norm in Kashmir. I'd guess this one's another L-e-T operation, though I suppose it could be Jaish-e-Mo. Regardless, it's likely a Qaeda affiliate. |
India's major cities were put on high alert after the blasts, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called an emergency Cabinet meeting. Chaos engulfed the crowded rail network in India's financial capital following the blasts that ripped apart train compartments as authorities struggled to treat the wounded amid heavy monsoon downpours. Doors and windows were blown off the train cars, and luggage and debris were strewn across the tracks. Police Chief A.N. Roy said on Indian television that an estimated 100 people were killed and more than 250 were wounded. "We are busy in the rescue operation. Our first priority is to rescue the injured people," he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility in the bombings, which came in quick succession — a common tactic employed by Kashmiri militants that have repeatedly targeted India's cities.
| Ohfergawdsake. It's either L-e-T or Jaish. It's always them. Unless it's commies. |
The first explosion hit the train at a railway station in the northwestern suburb of Khar. India's CNN-IBN television news, which had a reporter aboard one train, said a blast struck a first-class compartment as the train was moving, ripping through the compartment and killing more than a dozen people. Some of the injured frantically dialed their cell phones. Another CNN-IBN reporter said he had seen more than 20 bodies at one Bombay hospital. The Press Trust of India, citing railway officials, said all the blasts had hit first-class cars.
Pranay Prabhakar, the spokesman for the Western Railway, said all train service had been suspended and appealed to the public to stay away from stations in the city. The bombings in Bombay came hours after a series of grenade attacks by Islamic extremists killed eight people in the main city of India's part of Kashmir.
UPDATE: MUMBAI (Reuters) - Bombs exploded on packed commuter trains and stations in India's financial hub, Mumbai, on Tuesday, killing over 160 people and wounding hundreds, officials said. "The death toll is 163 and around 460 people have been injured," police inspector Ashok Jadhav told Reuters. "We are not sure if it is RDX or not," city Police Commissioner A.N. Roy said, referring to the possible use of high-powered plastic explosives.
The first attack took place at 6.24 p.m. (1154 GMT) with the others following in quick succession. "Incidents had taken place in the space of 10 minutes. It appears to be pre-planned," Anil Sharma, chief security commissioner of Western Railway, told CNN-IBN television channel.
