Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

ATTACKS: AT LEAST 50 DEAD - two large car bombs rocked the Indian city Mumbai
SkyNews ^ | 08/25/03 | Staff Writer

Posted on 08/25/2003 12:17:45 PM PDT by bedolido

Detonators have been found on a rail track near Mumbai after at least 50 people were killed and more than 100 injured when two large car bombs rocked the Indian city.

Several sleepers had also been removed and used to block the tracks on a line being used by millions of pilgrims headed to a major Hindu festival, railway police have said.

A trainload of pilgrims was halted after the detonators were found.

Officials initially said there had been four blasts in the city, also known as Bombay, but it was later confirmed there had been two - one at the historic Gateway of India site and another at a busy bullion market near a Hindu temple.

Pictures shown on Star TV in India showed widespread carnage, with rubble and debris scattered across one street and many cars destroyed after one of the attacks.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Indian government pointed the finger at the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, which has blamed for previous attacks.

'Huge explosion'

Tamanna Inandar said there was one "huge" explosion in the car park of the Gateway of India, an historic tourist site.

TV footage showed damaged cars littering the car park with patches of blood and shoes also scattered across the concrete.

Other reports suggested people had been thrown into the sea by the force of the blast.

The window panes of the neighbouring Taj Mahal hotel, a popular tourist hotel, were blown out, although footage from the scenes showed the hotel largely undamaged.

Another bomb is believed to have gone off in a taxi near the Mumba Devi Hindu temple in central Mumbai.

Most of the deaths occurred in the market next to the temple.

Both bombs are believed to have been carried in taxis.

Militants

The blasts are just the latest in a series of attacks on the city.

The Indian government has repeatedly blamed Pakistan for not doing enough to rein in Islamic militants, although there has been a thaw in relations between the two governments following last year's nuclear stand-off when 1m troops were mobilised in a row over the disputed Kashmir territory.

The worst attack was in 1993 when 250 people were killed in 13 simultaneous blasts launched by Muslim militants.

Pakistan immediately condemned today's attack.

Indian political expert Shuresh Joshi told Sky News the blasts were an attempt by Islamic terrorists to "keep their fires burning" as relations between Pakistan and India improve.

Soft target

"I do not believe the Pakistani government would harbour or encourage these groups but they do have some sympathy," he said.

"Relations between Pakistan and India are getting better. If they do get better then the terrorists get insecure and they want to keep their fires burning."

He added: "Bombay is important economically and is also a soft target compared to say Delhi. It was targeted to paralyse the Indian economy."

The attacks coincided with the release by Indian archaeologists of a report on a violently disputed religious site.

They said a medieval Hindu temple had been found under the foundations of the Islamic shrine razed by Hindus in 1992.

The dispute has been blamed for previous violence in Mumbai with both Hindus and Muslims laying claim to the site.

Last Updated: 18:47 UK, Monday August 25, 2003


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 50; attacks; bombs; car; dead; india; large; least; mumbai; southasia

1 posted on 08/25/2003 12:17:45 PM PDT by bedolido
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: bedolido; Grampa Dave; Ernest_at_the_Beach; PhilDragoo; hchutch; ken5050; Dog
These rotten bastard scum are doing everything they can to educate the world, as to why they need to be exterminated.
2 posted on 08/25/2003 12:23:04 PM PDT by BOBTHENAILER (One by one, in groups or whole armies.....we don't care how we getcha, but we will)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bedolido
It's not going to be a good time to be a Muslim in india for the next few days.

The Hindus can maintain their balance of terror against the Muslims by butchering a large number of them, which will decrease the rate of attacks like this in the future (but not their likelihood--Muslim terrorism is guaranteed to happen for a long, long time)

3 posted on 08/25/2003 12:25:38 PM PDT by xm177e2 (Stalinists, Maoists, Ba'athists, Pacifists: Why are they always on the same side?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BOBTHENAILER
MAYBE, pretty soon, the WORLD will figure out who the REAL ENEMIES are.....(hoping, praying)
4 posted on 08/25/2003 12:25:44 PM PDT by goodnesswins (Vote Democrat ....... pay for our drugs, travel, and total retirement life! Ha hahaha ...fools.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: bedolido
Hmmm, I wonder if the Indians will be joining in on the war on terror with us soon.
5 posted on 08/25/2003 12:26:28 PM PDT by SolutionsOnly
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: goodnesswins
the WORLD will figure out who the REAL ENEMIES are.....(hoping, praying)

You and me both.

6 posted on 08/25/2003 12:32:10 PM PDT by BOBTHENAILER (One by one, in groups or whole armies.....we don't care how we getcha, but we will)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: bedolido
Several sleepers had also been removed and used to block the tracks on a line being used by millions of pilgrims headed to a major Hindu festival, railway police have said.

So this was to attack a train-load of Indian Hindus on their way to a festival.

Let's think, who would have done that?......Hmmmm, that's a hard question......I give up. Let's blame it on the CIA or the Mossad as usual. /sarcasm

7 posted on 08/25/2003 12:36:25 PM PDT by xJones
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BOBTHENAILER
Courtesy of your friendly Muslim neighbors!
8 posted on 08/25/2003 12:39:47 PM PDT by observer5
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

Comment #9 Removed by Moderator

To: xJones
I was going to say, it's time for the US and Israel to pull out of India . . . except they're not there.

Any religion that has to resort to suicide bombing to get its views across has a serious PR problem. Unless Islamic clerics can rein in the bombers, their religion isn't going to last the century.

10 posted on 08/25/2003 12:46:54 PM PDT by JoeSchem (Has a moderate Republican ever moved to the RIGHT after getting elected?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: BOBTHENAILER
Death to those shouting, "Death to the infidels!"

The road map for peace runs over their larynxes.

11 posted on 08/25/2003 8:16:11 PM PDT by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson