India explosions kill 60
Wednesday, 14 May 2008 14:03
Sixty people have been killed and over 150 wounded after a series of explosions ripped through the Indian city of Jaipur.
The authorities have confirmed to several news agencies that a number of blasts struck the city on Tuesday evening at 19:30 local time (14:00 GMT).
It is thought that the explosions were specifically targeting areas with high concentrations of people, such as markets, tourist spots and other gathering points within the historic Rajasthan city.
As a result of the blasts, which are thought to include at least one car bomb attack, police and security services in other major Indian cities have been put on high alert.
This includes the national capital, New Delhi, and the largest city and financial centre of Mumbai.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, although media speculation suggests it may be terrorist militia from across the nearby Pakistani border.
Jaipur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country and is also of economic significance to India as it is one of the largest cities, with a population of around 2.7 million.
It is most famous for tourist spots such as the world-renowned Amber Palace and the Jantar Mantar.
Around 600,000 Britons visit India a year.
The Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to, or through rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir other than Ladakh, against all travel in the immediate vicinity of the border with Pakistan except at the international border crossing at Wagah, and agisnt and all travel in the Manipur and Tripura (East and North East India).