Explosions Rock Mumbai, a Number of Brokers Killed (Update 4)
July 13, 11 (IDEX Online News) – Three bomb explosions rocked Mumbai around 7 pm on Wednesday, one of the bombs exploding right by the diamond market in Opera house, killing a number of diamond brokers. The death toll stands at 17 people, 161 people were injured. A number of diamond brokers are among those confirmed dead, IDEX Online has learned.
The series of explosions were a terrorist attack targeting commercial areas and some of the most crowded neighborhoods in Mumbai – at a time when the streets are heavy with people.
According to witnesses, one of the bombs went off just outside the back gate of Panchratna in
Diamond traders that were in the area told IDEX Online they heard an explosion and tremor that felt like an earthquake.
The first explosion took place in south Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar, near the Mumbadevi temple and Opera House, said Mumbai Police spokesperson Nisar Tamboli, the Times of India reported. According to one report, the blast took place in on of the bazaar's many jewelry shops.
According to initial reports, the second explosion was in a taxi in Dadar area, in the heart of Mumbai and one of the city's most crowded railway stations. The third blast was at Opera House.
"We are verifying the nature of explosions. At this moment I cannot say anything more than this," Tamboli said.
In 2008, Mumbai was attacked by Pakistan-based militants who killed at least 166 people, ending their stand in the city's Chabad house.
(Last updated 3:17 am, July 14)