7 Bombs Kill 60 in Jaipur, India

All the bombs were strapped to bicycles and exploded within minutes of each other. No group claimed reponsibility for the blasts but government officials believe it was the work of Pakistani/Bangladeshi Islamists. Reuters

JAIPUR, India (Reuters) - Seven bombs ripped through the crowded streets of India's western city of Jaipur on Tuesday evening, killing around 60 people in markets and outside Hindu temples.

The bombs, many strapped to bicycles, exploded within minutes of each other in Jaipur's pink walled city, a magnet for foreign tourists.

It was the deadliest bomb attack in India in nearly two years. Around 150 people were wounded and local television stations broadcast appeals for blood donations.

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Police officers said no group had admitted responsibility for the blasts. Television channels quoted government and intelligence officials as blaming Pakistani or Bangladeshi Islamist militant groups.

"According to the information I have received 60 people have died and 150 have been injured," Rajasthan's Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying.

The state's home minister, Gulab Chand Kataria, said there were at least 55 deaths.

"At around 7.30 there was a big noise and suddenly I found people in a pool of blood," said Govind Sharma, a priest at a Hindu temple, through tears. "I've lost my father in the bomb blast."

Officials said the apparent motive for the bombs was to undermine a peace process between India and Pakistan or foment communal violence in India.