Assam serial blasts: 40 dead, over 200 injured
Assam serial blasts: 40 dead, over 200 injured
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Guwahati, October 30: Over 40 people were killed and more than 200 injured on Thursday in 13 serial bomb blasts triggered by suspected ULFA and HUJI militants in crowded areas of lower Assam, including capital Guwahati. While 25 were killed in the four blasts in Guwahati, 10 others died in Kokrajhar, three in Barpeta and two in Bongaigaon, they said.
The death toll is likely to rise as more bodies were suspected to be buried in the debris at the blast sites, the sources said, adding the condition of the several of the injured is serious
The powerful bombs went off simultaneously at around 11.30 AM with four of them hitting Guwahati, three each in Barpeta and Kokrajhar while one in Bongaigaon, according to official sources.
The first blast in Guwahati occurred at a vegetable and fruit market at Ganeshguri near the flyover adjacent to the high security secretariat and the Assembly.
The blast caused a major fire in the area with smoke engulfing the entire market and nearby places.
The second bomb exploded in front of the Kamrup district deputy commissioner's office, injuring many and destroying several cars parked there, the sources said.
The third explosion rocked areas near the police station of the busy Fancy Bazar, triggering panic among shoppers, many of whom were injured, the sources said.
Guwahati Superintendent of Police G P Singh said that police and fire brigade were engaged in controlling the fire.
In Kokrajhar, the explosives were suspected to have been planted in a two-wheelers.
Thick smoke billowed after the high intensity blasts which turned a number of cars, cycles and two wheelers into mangled heaps of metal.
A red alert has been sounded across the state. Curfew has been clamped in some areas of the city after angry mobs took to the streets and attacked fire-tenders, official sources said.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been promulgated across Guwahati following the blasts which the police suspect to be the handiwork of the banned ULFA and HUJI extremists, they said.
The injured were admitted here to the Gauhati Medical College hospital where blast victims from other districts were also arriving for treatment.
Three blasts each took place in Barpeta and Kokrajhar districts and one in Bongaigaon district, the sources said.
The first blast in Guwahati occurred at a vegetable and caused a major fire in the area leaving several people dead and scores injured.
An oil tanker there caught fire following the explosion, the sources said.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court premises, one of the blast site, which opened after Diwali holidays, was engulfed in dense black smoke and pieces of broken window-panes of cars, mangled remains of two-wheelers and blood-stained bodies were scattered all over.
People were crying for help and some were too stunned to say anything.
The railings around the parking area of the court were completely damaged and one could see hundreds of splinter marks on nearby cars, walls and trees.
The explosion near the police station of the busy Fancy Bazar, triggered panic among shoppers, many of whom were injured.
Shivraj Patil condemns Assam blasts
Shivraj Patil condemns Assam blasts
Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Thursday condemned the serial blasts in Assam that have killed at least 30 people and injured over 100, even as he went into an urgent meeting with National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan to discuss measures to control the situation.
Seperately, Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta spoke to Assam's chief secretary, saying the situation was being closely monitored.
The blasts are likey to top the agenda at a pre-scheduled meeting of the cabinet that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to chair at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.
Manmohan Singh represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha.
At least 30 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a string of explosions in Assam on Thursday, including four in the heart of the state's main city of Guwahati, police and eyewitnesses said.
A police spokesman said there were 12 blasts in a span of about an hour beginning from 11.20 a.m. - five in Guwahati, three in Barpeta district, three in Kokrajhar district and one in Bongaigaon district, all in western Assam.
Serial blasts rock Assam; 66 dead, 470 injured in 13 blasts; HUJI hand suspected
Serial blasts rock Assam; 66 dead, 470 injured in 13 blasts; HUJI hand suspected
Mumbai, 31 October: In 13 blasts that rocked Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta towns of Assam left 66 dead and 470 injured on Thursday Morning. Officials suspect the blasts to be the handiwork of Bangladesh-based HuJi militants with the active support of ULFA.
