ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

14 killed, 34 wounded in Srinagar market blast

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

Fourteen persons, including two members of the Special Services Bureau, were killed while 34 others were wounded, seven of them critically, when a bomb planted in a cart exploded this morning in the main vegetable market here. The injured include five members of the Border Security Force.

There was total chaos after the incident as the cries of the injured and those inside the market rented the air. The bomb went off when the market was humming with hectic Monday morning activity and it left a trail of death and destruction.

Six civilian bystanders died on the spot while seven others, including two members of the SSB, a paramilitary outfit guarding the high security areas in Srinagar, died in various hospitals where they were rushed after the blast. Doctors attending on the injured said the condition of six of them is serious.

Anxious relatives thronged Srinagar's main SMHS Hospital to know the condition of the injured. Such was the rush there that the doctors had to put up a list of the injured persons on the main entrance. Residents from various localities in the city, whose near and dear ones work in the market, had a difficult time finding about their fate. Ambulances with wailing sirens shuttled back and forth ferrying the injured.

Doctors at the SMHS Hospital said that due to the multiple nature of their injuries the victims had lost blood enroute and, so despite their best efforts, they could not save them. Such was the confusion at the hospital's casualty section that some of the relatives were seen collaring the doctors while others forced their way into the operation theatre. The hospital lacked some crucial facilities in view of the financial crunch in the state.

Senior police and security forces officials rushed to the spot. The first to reach the vegetable market was the Superintendent of Police, City South, Showkat Ahmad Malik who controlled the situation and supervised the rescue operation. When this correspondent reached the market immediately following the blast there were shocking scenes.

One woman who lost her son fell unconscious while others were beating their chests. Blood was splattered all around the spot where the bomb, possibly an Improvised Explosive Device, was planted. Abdul Rashid, a vegetable vendor, told rediff.com that there were around 2,000 persons in the market at that time. "More than half of them were security personnel. They make purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables from this market," he added.

No group has yet admitted responsibility for the blast. Police say a massive manhunt is on to nab the culprits. The explosion follows recent daring attacks on various security force camps including last week's well-planned attack on the headquarters of the Special Operations Group of the police.

Security has been further tightened in Srinagar and all passing vehicles are being thoroughly checked. The Srinagar district police chief B Srinivas told this correspondent that no chances were being taken in view of the stepped up activities of the militants in the state.

Tell us what you think of this report