At least five people were killed as four explosions rocked Mumbai this afternoon, police said. Unconfirmed sources, however, put the toll at 12.
"Yes, we have reports of two big explosions -- one near the Mumbadevi temple in central Mumbai and another one at the Gateway of India in south Mumbai," Joint Police Commissioner Ahmed Javed told AFP.
The other blasts went off near Pydhonie and at a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation office at Marine Lines.
The explosion at Dhanji street in Mumbadevi occurred in a residential building. Preliminary reports indicated that it was a cylinder blast, Maharashtra's Home Minister Rajendra Darda told PTI.
The other explosion occurred in an ambassador car which was parked in the parking lot area of hotel Taj Mahal. About two to three persons were injured in this blast which is suspected to have been triggered off by a bomb, Darda said. The injured have been rushed to G T Hospital, he said.
The blasts came minutes after national archaeologists in a report to a court claimed they found the remains of a temple below the surface of the razed Babri Masjid.
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At least 12 feared killed in 4 blasts in Mumbai August 25, 2003 | 13:22 IST At least twelve persons were feared killed in four blasts in south Mumbai -- one near the Gateway, one near Zaveri Bazaar, one near Pydhonie and a fourth at a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation office at Marine Lines -- on Monday afternoon.
However, there are conflicting reports about the number of dead. An eyewitness told our correspodent at Mumbadevi circle in Pydhonie that he counted at least 15 to 20 bodies.
But Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Karun Srivastav confirmed only 12 dead. He said six people were killed in the blast at the Gateway.
Minister of State for Home Rajendra Darda, however, said he had no information of any dead.
All four blasts occurred between 1300 and 1330 IST.
Details are not yet available on the nature of the blasts. Police and fire-brigade personnel have reached the spots. The Gateway blast took place in the parking lot opposite the historic monument. Unconfirmed reports say the Taj Hotel's lobby suffered damage in the blast. An eyewitness said glass is strewn all over the place. Our correspondent counted at least 10 damaged cars at the Gateway. The entire area has been cordoned off. The road leading to the Gateway from the Regal cinema building in Colaba has been blocked. The mobile network in Mumbai is not working. Sources in The Times of India building near the Chhatrapati Shivaji (Rail) Terminus said they heard a huge blast sometime between 1300 and 1330 IST.
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URL for this article: http://www.rediff.com//news/2003/aug/25blast.htm |