At least 21 people were killed and nearly 150 injured by a series of blasts in busy localities of Mumbai on Wednesday evening.

The first blast occurred in Zaveri Bazaar, the heart of Mumbai’s jewellery trade, at 6.50pm, followed soon after by one at Dadar, about 10km to the north. This was followed by a third explosion at Opera House, also in south Mumbai, about 10 minutes later. All three are congested areas, with tens of thousands of traders, office-goers and commuters leaving for home.

Arup Patnaik, Mumbai’s police commissioner, said the terrorists had used improvised explosive devices to trigger off the blasts.

After the blasts, a red alert was issued in Mumbai, even as the police blocked roads and exits to the city. Blood-covered bodies lay on Mumbai streets and people hugged and wept. Others carried the wounded to taxis. Crowds gathered in the blast areas as police questioned witnesses and bomb squads inspected the undercarriages of vehicles searching for clues and other explosives. Motorcycles were charred, shop-fronts shattered and a bus stop ripped apart. Bleeding victims crowded into the back of a cargo truck to be taken to a hospital.