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At least 163 Indian commuters were killed tonight when seven co-ordinated bomb blasts tore through crowded trains and stations in the Indian financial capital of Bombay, creating rush-hour chaos on one of the world's busiest train networks.

Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, blamed the attacks on "terrorists" and appealed for calm as he called an emergency Cabinet meeting in Delhi. Shivraj Patil, the Home Minister, told reporters that authorities had some information an attack was coming, "but place and time was not known".

The blasts reportedly occurred within 11 minutes of each other at packed railway stations in Matunga, Khar, Santacruz, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Bhayendar along Bombay's Western Railway, forcing the suspension of all train services in the city.

Witnesses reported seeing body parts strewn about stations, and Indian television news channels broadcast footage of bystanders carrying victims to ambulances. In the background were twisted and torn train compartments, some of the injured frantically dialling on their mobile phones.

The force of the blasts ripped doors and windows off carriages, and luggage and debris were strewn about.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but the fact that the blasts came in quick succession pointed to Kashmiri militants who have repeatedly targeted India’s cities. A few hours earlier suspected Islamic militants killed eight people in grenade attacks in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-ruled Kashmir.

Pakistan quickly condemned the attacks. A Foreign Ministry statement said that both President Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz, the Prime Minister, had condemned "this despicable act of terrorism" and offered condolences for the loss of life.

The statement added: "Terrorism is a bane of our times and it must be condemned, rejected and countered effectively and comprehensively."

The Press Trust of India reported that Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chief Minister of Maharashtra state, said after meeting with his Cabinet that as of late tonight the death toll stood at 163 with another 460 wounded.

A.N. Roy, the Bombay police chief, told Reuters: "It is a bomb blast. We are not sure if it is RDX or not", referring to the possible use of high-powered plastic explosives.

"We are busy in the rescue operation. Our first priority is to rescue the injured people," Mr Roy added - although heavy monsoon downpours were hampering the effort.

Pranay Prabhakar, the spokesman for the Western Railway, confirmed that seven blasts had taken place. He said all trains had been suspended in Bombay and appealed to the public to stay away from the city’s train stations.

The first explosion hit the train at a railway station in the northwestern suburb of Khar at 6.24pm (1354 GMT). India’s CNN-IBN television news, which had a reporter travelling on the train, said the blast took place in a first-class car as the train was moving, ripping through the compartment and killing more than a dozen people.

Railway officials said that all the other blasts had targeted first-class cars.

The Bombay blasts came just hours after eight people, mostly Indian tourists, were killed in grenade attacks in Srinagar, the most concerted targeting of civilians in months. Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since shortly after the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947, but both claim it in full.

Bombay, a metropolis of about 17 million, has been hit by a series of bomb blasts in the past decade.

More than 250 people died in a string of bomb explosions in Bombay in 1993 for which authorities blamed the city’s underworld criminal gangs led by the shadowy Dawood Ibrahim, who still wields massive influence even though he is on the run, accused of financial global terror groups, and believed to be holed up in Pakistan or Dubai.

Dean Nelson, India Correspondent for The Sunday Times, said: "These attacks could be linked to Kashmir or they could be more localised - or they could be several causes coming together. Most people would think it would be with Muslim organised crime rather than Muslim terrorism.

"Bombay has a very big Muslim population. It all depends on who the victims are, whether any specific group has been targeted."

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