Thursday, February 21, 2013

16 feared killed in triple terror blasts in Hyderabad

At least 16 people have been feared killed and 45 injured in three explosions near a busy bus stop at Dilsukh Nagar on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Thursday evening.  Authorities warned that the toll is expected to rise.


The injured have been rushed to the nearby hospitals. As many as 50 people are trapped in the aftermath of the blasts.

The Intelligence Bureau and the Hyderabad police have confirmed that the blasts that occurred at Hyderabad were an act of terror.
The police have cordoned off the area and are searching for unexploded bombs, if any. It appears to be a well-planned operation and the timing was aimed to cause major destruction, said sources in the IB.
The blasts occurred at a busy market area, near a bus stop and two movie theatres, which were packed in the evening. One of the blasts destroyed a tiffin centre.
The IB confirmed that intelligence agencies had received a terror alert regarding Hyderabad.
The security agencies are clueless about which organisation may have carried out the terror strike. Officials said the terror strike could have been carried out by terrorists or anit-social elements.
A high alert has been declared across Hyderabad. Senior officials and ministers have rushed to the spot.
Vicky Nanjappa/Sheela Bhatt 


Live Updates on Here

Source: Rediff

LIVE!!!! Serial blasts rock Hyderabad, high alert declared

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Ten to fifteen people are feared dead and over 40 injured in serial blasts at Hyderabad's Dilsukh Nagar area today evening.

Local reports said the five blasts all happened at Dilsukh Nagar area, which is a crowded locality in Hyderabad. The NIA though pegged the number to have rocked Andhra Pradesh's capital at three and its officials are rushing to the site.

Police are yet to determine the nature of the explosions, which took place near theatres and a bus stand, and the entire area has been cordoned off.

High alert has been declared across Andhra Pradesh following the explosions.
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At least 18 people are feared killed and over 60 injured, some of them critically, in three serial explosions near a busy bus stop and two cinema theatres at Dilsukh Nagar in Hyderabad on Thursday evening.

Union Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde has confirmed that 11 people have been killed in the Hyderabad blasts.

Local reports said the five blasts all happened at Dilsukh Nagar area, which is a crowded locality in Hyderabad. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) though pegged the number to have rocked Andhra Pradesh's capital at three, while Hyderabad police said at least two blasts have taken place.

Police have confirmed that these blasts that ripped through the crowded area in Hyderabad are an act of terror attack.

However, there is no clarity yet on who engineered these well-coordinated and pre-planned explosions.

Authorities have also expressed the fear that the death toll is likely to increase.

The injured, meanwhile, have been rushed to Yashoda Hospital at Malakpet and to the government-run Osmania Hospital, and police have cordoned off the entire area.

Elite teams of the NIA and the National Security Guard (NSG) will be flying to Hyderabad, Home secretary R.K. Singh said in New Delhi.

He said the state police chief is reaching the blast site, which has been cordoned off.

"Our NIA team is also reaching as it has a hub there. The NIA officials are there at the site. Our IG NIA is also going from here. The post blast investigating team of NSG is also going," R.K. Singh added.

The two teams will fly at 9.30 p.m. in a Border Security Force plane, he added.

The blasts occurred near two theatres in Dilsukhnagar, a busy commercial area, about 15 km from the heart of the city

Eye witnesses said they heard two loud explosions within a couple of minutes. Police suspect one of the bombs may have been kept in a motorcycle and the other in a tiffin box.

The first blast occurred around 7 p.m. near a tiffin centre opposite Venkatadri theatre and the second near Konark theatre. Both the theatres are about 500 meters from each other.

All the major cities in the country have been put on high alert.

Senior police officials and ministers have rushed to the spot.

Some reports also say that an unexploded bomb too was found by the cops, although this has not been confirmed yet.

Police sources said that the bombs were placed at heavily crowded areas to cause maximum damage.

Earlier reports had said that these were gas cylinder blasts, but that has been ruled out.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy, Director General of Police V. Dinesh Reddy and others visited the scene. The blasts sent panic in the area, close to Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway.

YSR Congress party, in a statement, expressed shock and deep anguish over the bomb blasts. "YSRCP president Smt Vijayamma expressed shock and deep anguish over the bomb blasts in Diluskh Nagar. She mourned the death of innocent people who died in the explosion and conveyed her heartfelt condolences to the families of the blast victims," said the statement.