Serial blasts rock Jaipur...

Update: The toll has risen to 80. One suspect has been detained and is being interrogated.

Among the dead were a 10-year-old boy at the Hanuman (monkey god) temple, a bride in a bright red saree still wearing marriage bangles and a young man covered in blood who was left hanging over the twisted wreckage of a bicycle rickshaw, the Press Trust of India said.

-snip-The bombings took place as India marked the 10th anniversary of nuclear tests conducted on May 13 in Rajasthan, but it was unclear if there was any link. India has been plagued by bombings across the country in recent years and routinely points the finger at foreign-based Islamic militant groups fighting New Delhi's rule in the Himalayan state of Kashmir.

60 killed, death toll is expected to rise. It is the worst terrorist attack in India since Mumbai 2006. Following the blasts, most of the injured were taken to the Sawai Mansingh Hospital where people were reported "seen standing outside the hospital appealing to passers-by to donate blood for the injured."

About the attack:

-snip-According to the police, the first blast took place at the Manas Chowk Police Station area. The second blast was near the most famous sweet shop in the city, Lakshmi Mishtaan Bhandar that is in Johari Bazaar. The third blast took place in Tripolia Bazar where a Hanuman temple drew a large number of devotees Tuesday, while the fourth and fifth blasts were reported at Badi Choupal and Chhoti Choupal.' -snip- The mangled remains of bicycles and cars splattered with bloodstains pockmarked several of the blast sites. Those hit by the shrapnel thrown up by the blasts writhed in pain even as bystanders moved in to shift them to hospitals. A priest at the Hanuman temple said: 'At around 7.30 p.m. there was a big noise and I suddenly saw people lying in a pool of blood. I was not aware it was a bomb blast. My father was also hit by a splinter and died of injuries.' There were a few hundred people at the Hanuman temple when the blast took place since it was a Tuesday, considered auspicious among Hindus.

-snip- There is panic in the city as this is happening in the midst of the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket frenzy. Most of the police and security forces are busy in the preparations of the IPL matches,' said Manas Kumar, an eyewitness.

In the last two years 434 people have been killed by terrorist attacks in India. No one has claimed responsibility for the Jaipur attacks. There's more about Jaipur, including a link to some wonderful photos beneath the fold. There are also more pictures of the bombing. What type of animal could wreak such destruction?





India's pink city.
A slideshow of Jaipur by Brian McMorrow.
More pictures from the bombing.
Chronology of India's major bomb attacks.