There have been three huge rush-hour explosions in Mumbai which have killed at least 17 people, although that toll is expected to rise.
In the biggest attack on the
city since 2008 assaults blamed on Pakistan-based militants, Aat least 100 people were wounded in the near-simultaneous blasts.
One blast occurred at the Opera House, a tourist destination in
south Mumbai near where Pakistani-based militants carried out the
bloody rampage in 2008, killing 166 people.
Another blast, also in south Mumbai, was at the Zaveri Bazaar, the
coastal city's diamond hub. The third blast was in the center of the
city.
CNN-IBN said police had told the broadcaster the blasts were caused by improvised explosive devices.
The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, long focused on fighting
Indian rule in Kashmir, was blamed for the coordinated attacks.
Television footage from CNN-IBN television channel showed debris of
twisted metal, motorbikes and cars severely damaged at one suspected
blast site.
"We were inside our office when we heard a huge noise. Outside there
was a lot of commotion, we can see fire trucks are here and they have
taken away two or three bodies," Jasraj Jain, a witness, told CNN-IBN
television.
The popular Opera House area and Zaveri Bazaar were where two of the
blast occurred. The third blast was in Dadar, which is in the center of
the city.
