India

Seven blasts kill 80 in Jaipur

Article published on the 2008-05-14 Latest update 2008-05-16 08:25 TU

Seven bombs exploded in Jaipur on 13 May.
(Photo : AFP)

Eighty people died in seven blasts which hit a popular shopping street in the Indian city of Jaipur within minutes of each other late Tuesday evening. They also injured 200 people. The Indian government was quick to blame "terrorists", arresting one person on Wednesday morning, though no group has taken credit for the attacks.

RFI correspondent in Delhi Vickram Roy said that there had been an initial confusion about the body count, which is expected to go up in the coming days.

"Some 20 per cent of those injured are also greviously hurt, and their chance of survival is rather slim," he said.

After the seven blasts, an unexploded bomb attached to a bicycle was discovered shortly after the blasts and defused by police.

Police have imposed an eight-hour curfew Wednesday morning in an attempt to stifle any violent reprisals between ethnic groups.

Fears that the blasts were motivated by sectarian rivalry and were stoked by the fact that two of the bombs exploded near a Hindu temple and a religious school.

Violence between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs have clashed violently on several occasions in India's history. The junior Home Minister Shriprakash Jaiswal said that the attacks were definitely perpetrated by terrorists, and claimed that they had foreign connections, without naming a country or organisation.

Police have are questioning four suspects.