Dozens Killed in Indian Market Blasts

Dozens of people were killed and more than 100 injured today after six bombs ripped through the centre of Jaipur, one of India's most popular tourist destinations.

The explosions, which began at 7.30pm (3pm BST), occurred in markets surrounding the city's pink palace, the Hawa Mahal, and its main temple complex, which draw millions of Indian and foreign tourists every year.

Television pictures showed empty, blood-splattered streets and the red-stained clothes of the dead being cleaned away by police. Bomb disposal officers managed to defuse at least one other device.

The attack sparked an alert in Mumbai, India's financial hub, and New Delhi, the country's capital. Security was stepped up at airports and railway stations across the country, said the Indian junior home minister, Sriprakash Jaiswal.

Rohit Singh, a senior official in the state of Rajasthan, told local television that between 50 and 60 people had been killed in the six blasts, "as per information available with me right now". Local reporters told TV stations there were 55 bodies in just one hospital.

"It will definitely rise. There's just too many in [one hospital]," said Akilesh Kumar, the Jaipur bureau chief with the Times of India.

No one claimed responsibility for the act, which the Rajasthan police chief, AS Gill, described as "a terrorist plot". He said: "The way it has been done, the attempt was to cause the maximum damage to human life."

Police said bicycles appeared to have been used in the bombings, but it was unclear whether explosives had been detonated by suicide bombers riding through the crowds or if the bombs had been left on them.

The first bomb struck a temple dedicated to the Hindu monkey god Hanuman, whose divinity is celebrated every Tuesday. Eyewitnesses said the temple was packed with devotees offering prayers on their way home from work.

"The next bomb was near Johari Bazaar and looked like it was placed near a Muslim jewelery shop," Lalit Khateri, an eyewitness, told NDTV news. "It was very busy with Hindus and Muslims. It was an attack not on Hindus or Muslims but Indians."

Johari Bazaar is the city's jewelery market and a popular destination for tourists. However, the tourist season ended in March and it is unlikely that foreigners were hit in the blast.

India has had a long history of bomb attacks. Last year, two explosions killed more than 40 people in the southern city of Hyderabad. In July 2006, seven synchronized blasts along Mumbai's commuter rail network killed nearly 200 people. Six months earlier, three New Delhi markets were bombed - claiming 62 lives.

In the past, India has been quick to blame the attacks on Islamist militant groups backed by neighboring Pakistan - an allegation Islamabad routinely denies. However, with both countries committed to peace talks, Indian officials refrained from publicly blaming Pakistan-based militants for the Jaipur attack.