Up to 100 people are feared dead after seven explosions destroyed trains on the railway system in Mumbai, India's financial centre. The blasts hit trains and stations in the Matunga, Khar, Santa Cruz, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Bhayendar areas of Mumbai during rush hour.
Police said the blasts were in the first-class carriages of the commuter trains.
"The blasts happened when the trains were most crowded," said DK Shankaran, chief secretary of the state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital.
Police described the series of blasts as an "attack" and said they were caused by explosives.
All trains have been suspended and railway officials have appealed to the public to stay away from the city's stations.
Mumbai's police chief, AN Roy, said: "We are busy in the rescue operation. Our first priority is to rescue the injured people."
Heavy monsoon rains are hindering the effort.
"It is a sad day," VK Duggal, the Indian home minister, told reporters before a meeting with the prime minister. "Security has been definitely put on high alert."
Mumbai has been hit by a series of bomb blasts in the past decade. More than 250 people died in explosions in the city in 1993, which authorities blamed on criminal gangs.
Police in New Delhi said they were prepared for violence in the Indian capital.
"We have mobilised our entire forces who are conducting checks in all areas such as buses, bus stops, train stations and religious institutions," Anil Shukla, deputy commissioner of police for South Delhi, told Reuters.
Agencies
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