LUCKNOW, March 7: Three separate bomb blasts ripped through the holy Hindu city of Varanasi in India on Tuesday, killing at least 21 people and wounding 62 at a crowded temple and a railway station.
Police also found two other bombs near the city’s main cremation site on the banks of the Ganges River, officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.
The authorities put states across India on high alert, fearing the attacks in Hinduism’s holiest city could spark communal violence.
The first blast tore into the Hanuman Temple — one of the oldest as well as one of the most beloved shrines in the ancient city — when it was packed with faithful carrying out their weekly Tuesday night worship.
Witnesses said the powerful explosion set off a panicked crush as people scrambled for safety.
“The blast was so powerful that it could be heard across the town, and we have moved five or six badly-burned dead,” an eyewitness said.
“Everyone was running. There were corpses lying around,” another witness told Aaj Tak news channel. “There was almost a stampede.”
Witnesses said a marriage ceremony was taking place at the temple when the blast occurred. They said several students due to appear for exams were also at the temple to offer prayers.
Rescue workers struggled in Varanasi’s narrow lanes to cart out the victims, most of whom had injuries on their legs and on the lower parts of their bodies, people on the scene said.
Within 10 minutes, two more bombs went off in the city’s main railway station, said Kamlesh Pathak, the city’s deputy administrator.
One went off outside the station master’s office while the other exploded inside a train carriage jammed with travellers preparing to go on holiday ahead of the annual Hindu festival Holi, next week.
“The third blast occurred inside a crowded coach of the Shiv Ganga Express minutes before it was to set off for New Delhi,” Pathak said.
“Ten people have died at the (Hanuman) temple and 11 more at the railway station. Eight of them are women,” he said.
Around 62 people were injured, some in critical condition, officials said.—AFP
