6 killed, 30 injured in powerful blast in India's Assam
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Guwahati, India, April 6, IRNA -- At least six people were killed and 30 wounded, eight of them critically, in a powerful explosion Monday at a crowded marketplace in India's restive northeastern state of Assam, officials said.
A police spokesman said that the blast took place in the busy Maligaon area of Assam's main city of Guwahati afternoon.
"As of now six people have died and 30 injured in the blast. Some of the injured are serious," a senior police official said. The injured where shifted to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital with multiple injuries.
"The bomb was planted on a parked motorcycle," senior police official G.P. Singh said.
Witnesses said the area was packed with people when the explosion occured.
"Among the injured were several school children who were returning home," Debajit Das, a witness, said.
Police blamed the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) for the attack.
"The blast comes a day before the ULFA marks its 30th foundation day and we had intelligence inputs about the group planning some attacks in the city," Singh said.
The blast also co-incides with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Assam Tuesday to address an election rally for the ruling Congress party in Dibrugarh, 500 km east of Guwahati.
"This is a barbaric act and we have asked the police to take firm action," Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.
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