In scenes reminiscent of Madrid and London, at least 165 people have been killed and hundreds injured in seven nearly simultaneous bomb blasts that hit moving commuter trains in western Mumbai, India's commercial hub formerly known as Bombay.
The well-coordinated attacks hit within a 30-minute span during the commuter rush hour.The first blast occurred in a first class carriage near Khar station, breaking the car in half. The roof of one train was blown off. All India’s major cities, including the capital New Delhi, and international airports are on now on high alert after the train blasts.
Television pictures showed people streaming with blood from the injuries being carried from railway coaches and rescue workers carrying the dead and wounded on stretchers as steady monsoon rain fell. Railway cars were ripped apart by the impact of the blasts. Appeals for blood donation were broadcast nationwide.
The Idian police believe that RDX, a powerful plastic explosive might have been the jihad tool of choice.
The prime suspect is Lashkari-toyyba, the Pakistani wing of Al Qaeda and long time jihadi adherents based in Pakistan and Kashmir.
The train bombings came a day after 8 civilians were killed, including 6 tourists, in six terror blasts in Srinagar, Kashmir Tuesday morning.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed for calm and described the incidents as a "shocking and cowardly attempt to spread a feeling of hatred".
The jihadis could hardly have struck a target with greater impact - both practical and psychological.
The Mumbai's suburban train system is one of the busiest in the world, carrying more than six million commuters a day. And as in London and Madrid, the bombings were coordinated and timed to target people fleeing the initial blasts.
Stay tuned....
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