50+ killed in new delhi terrorist attack
From the Hindu News:
Terrorists struck in the capital in a big way on the eve of Diwali today triggering three explosions in two markets and near a bus killing 50 people and injuring over 70 others, including some foreigners.
The first explosion toook place at around 5:40 p.m. in the busy Paharganj market in central Delhi in which 11 people died and 60 were injured.
The market, which is frequented by foreigners, was bustling with Diwali shoppers.
Minutes later, another explosion rocked Sarojini Nagar Market in south Delhi killing where maximum casualties were reported.
Another blast took place adjacent to a bus 10 kms further south in Govindpuri area.
Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, said 37 bodies were in Safdarjang Hospital, while Union Health Secretary, P K Hota, said seven bodies were brought to Lady Hardinge hospital, four to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital and two to AIIMS.
Expressing shock and distress over the blasts, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is returning to Delhi cutting short his visit to West Bengal, asserted that the Government was determined to defeat nefarious designs of terrorist elements.
Declaring that perpetrators of these heinous acts would be dealt with firmly, he urged the people to remain calm.
Although Patil said it was too early to say who was behind the blasts, security agencies were not ruling out involvement of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Immediately after the explosions, a red alert was sounded in neighbouring Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as also Mumbai and Kolkata.
From CNN:
A man who owns a store near the Sarojini Nagar market told CNN’s Satinder Bindra that he noticed an abandoned bag sitting near his store and warned people to get away. As people scattered, the owner said the bag exploded, gutting several nearby stores and causing a fire that spread to other buildings.
The explosion caused a stampede as people in the crowded market tried to get away.
Authorities said bodies are still being pulled from the debris, and they fear the death toll will rise.
Many women and children sustained serious injuries.
The CNN piece goes on to report that Pakistan, for its part, has condemned the attacks unequivocally, and that there have been no claims of responsibility yet.
More: New York Times
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