Mumbai: An atmosphere of chaos and confusion prevailed on the Western Railway lines as thousands of commuters were left bewildered by the serial blasts on Tuesday evening.
Frenzied scenes were witnessed as people tried to get home after all train services were suspended on the Western line. However, suburban train services on the Central and Harbour lines were still on, sources said.
Scenes of frenzy were witnessed at the Churchgate terminus in South Mumbai, the starting point of all Western Railway suburban services as people tried to get on to vans and other vehicles in their hurry to go home.
Traffic was chaotic outside Churchgate terminus and nearby signal points and people were seen making frantic inquiries about alternative ways to commute to their respective destinations.
At the scene of the blasts, injured were being taken to nearby hospitals and bodies were being cleared from the tracks.
Locals came to the aid of those stuck inside the trains as passengers jumped out of trains as the blasts rocked the first class compartments of crowded local trains, tearing them apart.
At Matunga station, the blast was so powerful that it not only ripped through the first class coach but also blew off a portion of the platform shed.
Bodies were scattered on the tracks while many injured, were attended to by fellow travellers on the platform before being rushed to nearby hospitals.
Police suspect that it is a pre-planned subversive plot similar to the explosions that had rocked Mumbai in 1993 and 2002 and 2003.
Mumbai Police Commissioner AN Roy said obviously a terrorist outfit would be behind the blasts because a normal human being could not have done this.
He said extra forces have been deployed in the city to ensure that no more incidents take place. Special arrangements were being made to transport people following the suspension of trains on the Western Railway route. He appealed to people not to go by rumours but help police in maintaining calm.
All suburban and long-distance trains on the Western Railway lines were suspended and police cordoned off the major road intersections, railway stations and exit points.
A PTI staffer travelling by one of the affected suburban trains said the explosion took place in the first class compartment next to the one he was travelling in, ripping off the entire top of the compartment. He saw a large number of injured being removed from the damaged compartment.
Another PTI correspondent, who was waiting to catch a train at Santacruz railway station, saw an explosion in a train that was about to enter the station. He reported that at least 25 people were injured in the blast that took place in the first class compartment.
Heavy rains made the job of rescuers difficult.
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