5 killed in Mecca Masjid blasts, 4 dead in police firing

Hyderabad, May 18 (UNI) Five people were killed and several injured when a bomb, triggered by a remote control, ripped through a crowded prayer meeting at the Mecca Masjid near the world-famous Charminar today, and four died in subsequent police firing to control violence.

The blast occurred when hundreds were in the midst of the 'Zohar' prayers in the packed 400-year-old mosque, facing the famed Charminar. Panicked devotees ran towards high-panelled gates, causing a near stampede even as four bodies lay at a corner of the mosque where the blast occurred.

During a search, the bomb squad found three more live bombs and defused them.

The more than 30 injured, including children, were rushed to the Osmania hospital and a private hospital where the condition of three was stated to be critical.

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