Police say 6 dead as 5 bombs rip through crowded parts of western Indian city

Tue, May 13 09:09 PM

JAIPUR, India (AP) _ Five bomb blasts ripped through crowded parts of an ancient city in western India on Tuesday, killing at least six people and wounding 20 others, police said. The explosions in Jaipur took place in markets and several other areas of the city in Rajasthan, a region dotted with palaces and temples that draw hundreds of thousands of Indian and foreign tourists every year, said A.K. Jain, a top police official in Jaipur.

The bombings were "obviously a terror attack," Rajasthan's police chief, A.S. Gill, was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. The first blast took place at 7:25 p.

m. (1355 GMT), Jain said, and another reportedly hit a market near a temple dedicated to the Hindu monkey god Hanuman.

Tuesdays are the day of worship set aside for Hanuman, and the temple was packed with people offering prayers on the way home from work. PTI said another blast took place near the Johari Bazaar the city's jewelry market, a popular destination for tourists.

The tourist season, however, ended in March and there were no immediate indications that foreigners had been caught in the explosions.

RECOMMEND THIS STORY