The attacks occurred in the early evening when the streets were crowded, so the number of casualties is lighter than might otherwise have been expected. The Indian authorities believe that a group called the Indian Mujahideen is responsible for the bombings.
Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for uploading this report from IBN news. Pay special attention to what the man who is being interviewed has to say at 4:40 to 5:20, ending with “…and I am not a BJP spokesperson…”:
News stories about the attack are still coming in, and tend to disagree on the number of deaths and other details of the incidents. Here’s one of the more recent ones, from CTV:
India: At Least 18 Killed, Dozens Injured in Mumbai Blasts
The death toll from three blasts that rocked Mumbai on Wednesday has risen to 18, with dozens more injured.
One of the explosions hit the crowded Dadar neighbourhood, while the remaining two occurred in the Jhaveri Bazaar jewelry market and the Opera House business district.
“The latest information that’s coming out on these three attacks is the official death toll as has been given to us by the state administration is now 18,” said Bhupinder Chaubay, with CNN’s IBN Network, reporting from New Delhi.
“There are a total of roughly 81 people who have also been injured.”
Chaubay told CTV News Channel all three blasts occurred within a 20-minute period, between 6:45 and 7:05 p.m. local time, indicating the explosions were intended as part of a “clear cut strategy,” likely carried out by terrorists.
Chaubay said the death toll could have been much higher since the explosions occurred in high-density areas.
“The only silver lining in this entire episode...is the fact this was some kind of a low intensity blast,” he said.
In the aftermath of the explosions, police were scrambling to determine the cause of the blasts and find those responsible.
The explosions occurred when the affected neighbourhoods would have been packed with office workers and commuters heading home.
The explosions come on the same day as the birthday of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the only surviving attacker from the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
A somewhat earlier one from International Business Times, with additional details:
India: Three Blasts in Mumbai, 10 Killed, Over 100 Injured
India’s Western city of Mumbai was rocked by three serial blasts at around 7.30 pm on Wednesday. The explosions took place at Dadar West, Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House.
At least 10 people were killed in the blasts, including four in Zaveri Bazaar. Six people were killed in Dadar.
All three locations are busy market places and the evening rush hour added to the intensity of death toll which is feared to go up further.
All the blasts took place in a span of 15 minutes from 6.45 pm to 7 pm.
The blast at Dadar took place at Kabutar Khana bus stop in a car, while Zaveri Bazaar bomb was kept in a meter box at a jewelry shop.
One unexploded bomb was also found in the city and the bomb squad has been rushed to the spot.
Taking the toll of the situation teams of National Investigative Agency (NIA), National Security Guards and Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) teams have rushed to Mumbai from the national capital New Delhi and a high alert has also been declared in Mumbai.
According to witnesses, at least 20 were injured in Zaveri Bazaar alone. Home Secretary have put the toll of injuries to 100.
Home Ministry has termed the blasts as terrorist attacks.
The use of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) heaps the suspicion on Indian Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that are known for using the same kind of device for its strike.
Sources in Home Ministry and Mumbai Police said that Indian Mujahideen is the main suspect behind the blasts.
Two Indian Mujahideen activists were arrested just a day ago by the Mumbai police.
7 comments:
I am shocked, shocked, I tell you, that followers of the religion of peace could be behind this. The authorities ought to be on the lookout for grandmothers in adult diapers before they jump to any conclusions.
Well, I can´t say that I´m really surprised. I´m just waiting for the occasion where a less softhanded country, such as India, gets fed up with being a target and starts to act in a preventive manner.
I give you an example as an illustration of what I mean. If you have problems with vermin eating your corn, what do you do?
Do you try to excuse the vermin by saying "Well, it´s not that big a problem anyway. The vermin is just doing what they are preprogrammed to do and just can´t be blamed."
Or do you say "Well, that´s just a few out of thousands of vermin so it´s just a few opportunistic and not very representative animals. They´re just misunderstood and have an odd behaviour."
Or do you prefer to be safe rather than sorry(and hungry) and say "What? They eat my food! I don´t accept that since it threatens my survival during the winter. Especially if there are more of them capable of doing the same thing." Wouldn´t you rather have it that you survive and consider ALL vermin, even those which is actually not(yet, to be a possible threat and act accordingly.
If your answer is the third one(it certainly is mine) you probably understand my point.
One country with more iron in their gloves is likely to reach the same conclusion and start putting pressure on their muslim population if nothing else for the sake of the safety of the rest of the population. Such a pressure is not unlikely to include ethnic(religious) cleansing. We´ve not reached that point yet but as many have stated before me here at GoV we will. The interesting question is which country will be the first.
My personal favourites are either India, China or Russia.
Many times over the past several years I have engaged Indians in conversation so as to let them know that there are many Americans who are deeply disturbed by the lack of our Government's support for India in its own war on terrorism.
I make it plain to them by citing the hypocrisy of how America placed pressure upon India to maintain restraint after the 2001 Parliament attacks in New Delhi. It is difficult to believe that the USA would have been so docile had, instead of attacking the WTC, almost a dozen Saudi nationals invaded our Congress or Senate and sprayed them with lethal gunfire. Hot smoking plains of Middle Eastern glass are quite easy to imagine had it been us instead of India.
This, just months after the 9-11 atrocity and somehow India was supposed to contain its understandable rage.
We all know that Pakistan has been behind a majority of these attacks. It is also safe to say that America's massive aid to Pakistan has freed up personnel and materiel which allowed the ISI to perpetrate these numerous atrocities against India.
Few better examples could be made than by taking Pakistan, dividing it down the Indus river and giving half each to Pakistan and Afghanistan with, perhaps, some third zone for a Balochistan which might one day be carved out of a defeated Iran.
Short of Saudia Arabia and Iran, neutralizing Pakistan, confiscating its nuclear arsenal and holding this dismembered Islamic state before the world's Muslim population as an example of what rogue terrorist nations can expect needs to be a prime directive.
I remain disturbed that a nation such as Pakistan even exists at all.
Note that Dadar is the predominently Christian area of Mumbai.
Zenster -
I might have said it angrier, but not better. "Pakistan" was created to give a nation to an Indian minority which '"doesn't play well with others."
That apparently has not been enough to satisfy "said minority" Nor will it work elsewhere.
As JanIII Sobieski learned there is but one way to stop the violent spread of Islam - Dead in its Tracks - The Deader the Better.
Dr. Shalit
Dr. Shalit: Zenster -
I might have said it angrier, but not better.
Thank you, good friend. I am honored by your kind words.
incident happnd aftr 31 months as said by p. chidambaram it means he was waitin for somethng to happen..............we are paying taxes so they are gettin salaries .................
there should be zero tolerance for terrorism....................
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