ElAlamein
29-10-2005, 20:09
Deadly blasts hit Indian capital . At least 48 people have been killed and scores wounded in a series of suspected bomb blasts in India's capital, Delhi. Two near-simultaneous blasts took place in markets in central and south Delhi, crowded with people shopping ahead of religious festivals next week. The third blast occurred in the area of Govindpuri which is in the southern part of the city. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blamed "terrorists" for the blasts and said he would not tolerate militant violence. No-one has yet admitted carrying out the explosions. Pakistan condemnation Federal health secretary, P Hota, said 48 people were confirmed dead. At least 80 more are being treated in hospital, 10 of whom are in critical condition, he said. Other government officials indicated most of those killed died in the blast at the southern Sarojini Nagar market. They said a number also died in the first explosion, minutes before, in the crowded central neighbourhood of Paharganj, an area close to Delhi's main railway station and popular with Western backpackers. Some reports say the Govindpuri blast was a bus bomb and that three people died, although this could not be confirmed. Prime Minister Singh, who is in the north-east but is returning to Delhi immediately, urged people to remain calm. "The prime minister has expressed shock and distress over the blasts but has asserted that militant violence would not weaken the country's resolve to fight terrorism," spokesman Sanjaya Baru said. India's home ministry has convened an emergency meeting of security and intelligence officials and all major markets in the city have been ordered to close. India's long-term rival Pakistan condemned the explosions. Its foreign ministry said in a statement: "Pakistan strongly condemns the terrorist attacks in Delhi, which have resulted in the loss of a number of innocent lives. The BBC's Paul Danahar, who was at the site of the blast in Sarojini Nagar, says the scene was one of carnage and confusion. Most of the people affected were ordinary people out shopping in the festival season, he says. Both the Hindu festival of lights known as Diwali and the Muslim festival of Eid fall next week. http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/south_asia_delhi_explosions/img/6.jpg