Thursday, July 14, 2011 – According to government officials, at least 17 people have been killed and 131 others have been injured following three coordinated bombings through the heart of India’s financial capital during rush hour on Wednesday.
Police forces went on high alert and set up checkpoints.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed to the people of Mumbai “to remain calm and show a united face.”
No group has said they carried out the attack, which took place in three districts during evening rush hour, and Indian officials refused to speculate on who might be behind the blasts.
India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram has said he believed the blasts were “a co-ordinated attack by terrorists”, as the explosions occurred within minutes of one another.
He further added, “All groups that have capacity to carry out such terror attacks are suspect. All angles will be investigated, all leads will be followed. I appeal to people not to speculate.”
Pakistan’s government expressed distress about the loss of lives and injuries soon after Wednesday’s blasts were reported.
U.S. President Barack Obama also condemned the “outrageous attacks.” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she will go ahead with her plans to visit India next week despite the bombings. Standing with India “is more important than ever,” she said.
Later the United Nations strongly condemned Wednesday’s attack, describing it as “heinous”.
Police officials said, The bombings began with an explosion that ripped through the famed Jhaveri Bazaar jewelry market at 6:54 p.m. A minute later, a blast hit the busy business district of Opera House, several miles away in southern Mumbai. At 7:05 p.m., the third bomb exploded in the crowded neighborhood of Dadar in central Mumbai.
Security officials further added, the attackers used improvised explosive devices hidden in an umbrella, a car and an electric meter at a bus stop.
Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said, because of the close timing of the blasts, “we infer that this was a coordinated attack by terrorists.”
The blasts marked the first major attack on Mumbai since 10 militants laid siege to the city for 60 hours in November 2008.
