Death toll rises to 171

Mumbai, July 11 (UNI) The death toll in the serial bomb blasts on Mumbai's suburban Western railway network has risen to 171.

According to the sources in the Director General of Police (DGP) office, more than 460 people were injured and are being treated at the city's various hospitals like KEM, Bhabha, Bhagwati, Cooper, Hinduja and other private hospitals.

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, along with Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad arrived here late tonight to review the situation. They also met the injured, who are being treated at the city's various hospitals.

Samples from the blast sites are being collected for intensive forensic investigations. The Maharashtra Government has asked the Central Forensic Laboratory (CFL) at Kalina here to give the results of the tests early as possible.

When contacted, CFL Director Dr Rukmani Krishnamurty said, ''Our officers are at all the blast sites to collect samples. It is posing some difficulty. Once we receive the samples, we will start our job,'' she said.

Horror and panic prevailed as reports of serial bomb blasts on the Western railway spread. More than a million commuters travel between Churchgate and Virar during peak rush hours in the morning and evening.

Panic-striken people jumped off the ill-fated trains, in a bid to save themselves. In addition to that, complete failure in communication networks compounded the problem. Residents living on either sides of the railway lines in slums or housing societies rushed to help of the stranded passengers on the tracks and even helped in removing the injured and the dead to nearby hospitals.

''I was on the foot-over bridge at the Bandra railway station, when there was a defeaning explosion and the roof of the suburban train which was between Khar and Bandra stations ripped apart,'' said Ratan Gaikwad, an eyewitness who works in a private company in Bandra-Kurla Complex.

Insurance agent Mahendra Gupta, a resident of Vasai, survived the blasts as he and his friend, Mahesh Karmarkar, managed to catch the 1757 hrs Virar-bound local from Churchgate, by boarding the next compartment behind their regular first class one.

''As our train was entering the Borivili station, we heard a deafening sound. I was not able to hear for some time,'' said Gupta.

''The effect was shattering. We saw people jumping out of the train. People were crying, screaming and women in tears,'' he added.

''We were totally confused as to what needs to be done,'' he said and added ''as we came out we saw police and fire brigade rushing there. Then, we heard there were serials blasts in the city.

Only then, we realised the severity of the situation. The left side of the compartment was completely ripped off'', he added.

Sunita Shastri, who was in the Khar-Bandra area, said: ''I saw a ball of fire and the roof coming out from the coach. I was totally shocked. I was about to board the same train. But the God has saved me,'' she said and added that police and authorities were late to reach the spot.

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed at all the blast sites, as people collected the bodies and rushed them to the nearby hospitals.

The injured were completely traumatised, as they waited on platforms with blood oozing out. Many people were also looking out for their loved ones in the hospitals.

Some hospital sources told UNI that Raheja Hospital has eight patients, who are being treated for their injuries. About 79 people are admitted to Sion Hospital, out of which 38 have died.

There are 22 injured people admitted to Lilavati Hospital. In the KEM Hospital, 65 injured people are getting medical treatment for injuries, while 24 people were declared dead. At V N Desai Hospital, 58 people are getting medical treatment for their injuries, while 10 have succumbed to their injuries. At Hinduja hospital approximately 55-60 people are admitted.

The blasts crippled the life line of the city -- the Western Railway, forcing the rail authorities to suspend all its train services in the wake of the serial blasts.

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