Guwahati, Oct 30 : Twenty-five co-ordinated blasts rocked busy areas of Guwahati and three other districts in Assam on Thursday, killing at least 40 people and injuring over 200 others, police and eyewitnesses said.

While four high-intensity blasts are reported to have taken place in the capital Guwahati, three each occurred in Barpeta and Kokrajhar, and one in Bongaigaon district of the northeastern state. The remaining blasts were reported to be of low-intensity.

In Guwahati, the blasts took place at Ganeshguri flyover, Fancy Bazaar, Pan Bazaar and near the district Deputy Commissioner’s office. The authorities have imposed curfew in the city following the explosions. Also, the state’s borders have been sealed.

TV channels showed footage of extensive damage, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The mangled remains of cars littered Guwahati’s streets even as fire brigade personnel and rescue workers rushed in to control the flames.

Injured have been rushed to the hospital. The wounded include many women and children. The casualty figures are likely to rise with the condition of many of the injured being critical, police said.

The state has been put on red alert, with police carrying out combing operations at a number of places. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been promulgated in Guwahati following the blasts which the police suspect to be the handiwork of the banned ULFA and HuJI extremists.

The police had to fire in the air to control an angry mob which resorted to stone pelting at Ganeshguri following the blast. A Zee News cameraman was critically injured in the violence and has been admitted to ICU in a local hospital.

The terror strike comes after the recent violence in the state.

It is believed that the bombs in Guwahati were placed in cars. In Kokrajhar, the explosives were suspected to have been planted in two-wheelers.

One blast went off just 100 metres from the residence of Assam’s Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Another exploded in front of the Kamrup district Deputy Commissioner’s office, sources said.

According to reports, most of the blasts took place in crowded market areas. The explosions occurred in a span of 15 minutes with the first one going off at around 11.30 am, triggering fires in many areas and leaving a trail of death and destruction.

The first blast in Guwahati occurred at a vegetable and fruit market at Ganeshguri near the flyover adjacent to the high security Secretariat and the Assembly. The blast caused a major fire in the area with smoke engulfing the entire market and nearby places.

The next blast occurred in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office injuring many and destroying several cars parked there, sources said.

The third explosion rocked areas near the police station of the busy Fancy Bazar, triggering panic among shoppers, many of whom were injured. The fourth blast took place at Pan Bazaar.

ZEENEWS, used with permission