Jaipur, May 13: Severed limbs, mangled heaps of
cycle rickshaws, bicycles and smashed windscreens of cars
turned the crowded markets crammed with peak-time shoppers in
the walled part of the Pink City into a virtual war zone
minutes after serial bomb blasts were set off by terrorists.
"We heard a big sound and what was left was a plume of
smoke and blood all around," said an injured eyewitness as he
was stretchered to a hospital.
Utter chaos and panic prevailed soon after the blasts
took place in a span of 20 minutes.
Scores of wounded people were ferried to three hospitals
soon after blasts hit at Tripolia Bazar, where a large
number of devotees turned up at a hanuman temple, Johari
Bazar, Manank Chowk, Badi Choupad and Choti Choupad in the
walled part of the city.
It is for the first time that the tourist hotspot,
Jaipur has figured on terror hit list.
Within minutes of the blast, one could see siren
blaring ambulances and vehicles zipping though the by lanes.
The blasts triggered a near-stampede situation at
the blast sites as panic-stricken people ran helter skelter in
search of a safe place.
People were also seen carrying the injured as the number
of ambulances fell far short of the requirement.
The nearby hospitals were crowded as relatives thronged
to look for their near and dear ones.
At one of the blast sites, the body of a newly-wed
woman, dressed in a bright red saree with traditional (chuda)
"marriage bangles", lay on the road.
Another young man was hung out of a rickshaw with his
head turned back and his face smeared with blood.
Johri Bazar, one of the biggest shopping markets, which
was rocked by the blasts, lay strewn with bangles and mangled
rickshaws.
Also strewn around were shopping bags, bloodstained
sandals and shoes of victims. At Sawai Mansing Hospital, the
emergency ward was splattered with blood as scores of dead and
injured were taken there.
Drenched in blood, people were seen running with their
mobile phones glued to their ears informing their kins about
their condition.
A puddle of blood formed outside the Hanuman Temple at
Tripolia Bazar where a ten-year-old boy perished in the blast.
Within minutes, the whole temple complex and the market
were cleared of the crowd as people ran for safety.
Police were seen warning the people against touching
any unidentified or unclaimed objects.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 00:00