More Railway Bombs Found In India
Police said they found and defused six bombs at the main railway station in India's capital, New Delhi, Friday, a day after a blast on a train killed 11 people and injured 64 more in Bombay, a news agency reported.
A pedestrian noticed the bombs in a plastic bag near a taxi stand at the New Delhi railway station and alerted police, a police official told the Press Trust of India.
No timers were attached to the explosives, but they could have been detonated by high temperatures from the sun, he said.
New Delhi has been placed on a high alert status, with extra police on patrol, since Thursday night's explosion on a train in Bombay, India's financial hub.
Meanwhile, bomb experts searched a mangled Indian train coach Friday for traces of explosives used to trigger Thursday's blast in Bombay.
The investigation into the explosion Thursday at a suburban rail station focused on Islamic groups, but police declined to give further details.
The attack came a day after the 10th anniversary of a series of bombings that killed more than 250 people and injured 1,000. Those bombings were allegedly carried out by groups seeking to avenge Muslim deaths in Hindu-Muslim riots.
Police increased security Friday throughout Bombay, India's commercial hub, with random searches of passengers and frequent warnings to be on the alert for suspicious packages.
In New Delhi, police said say they defused six bombs at a train station, the Press Trust of India reported.
The government of western Maharashtra state, which includes Bombay, said it feared there might be trouble around the anniversary of the previous bombings.
"We had increased security and ideally would have liked to prevent people from carrying large parcels in public transport. But there is a limit to what can be disallowed," Bombay Police Commissioner Ranjit Sharma said. "The magnitude of the blast is such that I cannot rule out the possibility of a terrorist strike."
Most of the force from Thursday's explosion was concentrated on a train compartment reserved for women.
Hundreds of victims' relatives gathered at Bombay hospitals, some wailing while others sat on the floor and stared vacantly.
"My sister was supposed to get married on Sunday. Now she is no more. I can't understand why this happened," said Laxmikant Patnaik, his shirt speckled with blood.
Rajesh Shirke, an electrician injured in the explosion, was swathed in bandages. "I saw body parts and so much blood on the tracks. This I will not be able to forget," he said.