By IANS
Hyderabad : At least 22 people were feared killed and 20 injured as two bomb blasts rocked Hyderabad Saturday evening, police said, even as political leaders appealed to people to remain calm.
The blasts occurred at around 7.45 p.m. at the Andhra Pradesh government-run Lumbini Amusement Park near the state secretariat and at Gokul Chat, a popular eatery in Koti, a commercial area. The spots are five kilometres apart.
Energy Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir confirmed that six people were killed in the Lumbini Park, abutting the Hussain Sagar Lake in the heart of the city.
He said 16 people were feared killed in Gokul Chat, which is thronged by huge crowds every evening. The number of casualties at the eatery was yet to be confirmed by the authorities.
Three bodies were lying amid chairs at the Lumbini Park 30 minutes after the blast. There were bloodstains all over the area. Three other people succumbed to injuries at the hospital.
Dozens of ambulances were seen rushing to the areas to shift the injured to hospitals.
The blast at the park occurred when a weekend crowd of hundreds including many children were watching a laser show.
Senior police officials rushed to both sites and cordoned them off. A senior police official said the blasts were meticulously planned though the cause of the explosion was yet to be ascertained.
Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy held a high-level meeting at the secretariat to review the situation. He also visited the Lumbini Park.
Rajsekhara Reddy was joined by senior political leaders in appealing to people to remain calm.
A red alert was sounded in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Security checks were being carried out at railway and bus stations.
The city had witnessed its first major terror attack this year May 18 when nine people were killed in a bomb blast during Friday prayers at the historic Mecca Masjid in the Muslim-majority old city area.