14 July,2011 06:32 AM IST | | Ketan Ranga
Improvised Explosive Devices with ammonium nitrate and splinters were planted at narrow crowded places to maximise damage to life
Three blasts that ripped through the city's heart last evening, all within 11 minutes at places teeming with life, Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and Kabutar Khana in Dadar, in that order.
The first blast took place at 6.54 pm in Zaveri Bazaar in south Mumbai, the crowded market named after the countless itsy jewellery stores that huddle together in its narrow streets.
A minute later, there was an explosion at Opera House, a diamond traders' hub, also in south Mumbai. The final explosion came at 7.05 pm, near Kabutarkhana at Dadar West in central Mumbai.
It has been confirmed that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) composed of ammonium nitrate were used to trigger all the blasts.
And they were amplified by the use of sharp metal splinters that led to more injuries than the bombs would have caused by themselves. The bomb devices were planted at crowded spots at all three locations, resulting in more casualties.
Police said that they did not get enough time to estimate the exact quantity of the chemicals used, but that the bombs may have been set off through a time device.
Opera House
The Mumbai police said that the blast at Opera House, as also at Zaveri Bazaar, was of a very high intensity, compared to that at Dadar.
u00a0
The bomb at Opera House was stashed under an umbrella left on the road in a narrow lane usually packed with people, that is, the entrance to Prasad Chambers, one of the Opera House's buildings. Over 50 hawkers ply in the lane.
u00a0
The blast shot a 3x2 ft hole in the ground, blowing away by a few metres a car parked nearby. According to the police, this was the most destructive of the three. CM Prithviraj Chavan said this was the most powerful blast.
Zaveri Bazaar
The blast at Khau Gali, again a narrow lane bustling with people out for a snack, caused immense damage as well.
Around 120 hawkers ply trade in the area. Locals said the bomb was kept near a bike and the explosion was immense. The police have found IED spillover on the spot. It was here that cops confirmed the use of IEDs for the blasts.
Owing to narrow places and the splinters used with the devices, the toll the explosion took on human life was magnified - injuries in the form of amputation and severe burns were reported.
Dadar
The same material was used in the blast at Kabutarkhana in Dadar West, but the damage was less.
The improvised bomb was kept on the roof of a bus stop near Antonio Da Silva School, and the back of the stop bore the explosion's brunt.
The police are trying to find CCTV footage from the neighbourhood, as there are a number of shops in the vicinity that may have surveillance cameras.
Hawkers plied trade at all the three locations and were among the casualties.
