Bloodstains, debris and mangled body parts strewn around were all that remained at the two locations in Dilsukhnagar where blasts happened in quick succession on Thursday evening.
Eyewitness accounts recall two blasts between 6.45 p.m. and 7 p.m. near the Konark theatre and Dilsukhnagar bus-stop, respectively, resulting in widespread mayhem. After the first blast near the bus-stop, panicky crowds rushed towards the Konark theatre before the second bomb went off near a small tiffin centre opposite the theatre.
M. Naresh, an MBA student who worked as an intern in an IT consultancy nearby, recalled having seen 20 to 30 people with bleeding injuries running towards a private hospital, soon after the second blast. Five to six mangled bodies were found lying there. The first blast near the bus-stop was no less horrific.
“I heard a big explosion around 7 p.m. Smoke enveloped the whole area, and after it cleared, I could see six to seven people bleeding profusely. Limbs were broken and for some, the intestines had been ripped out. Soon, they were shifted to hospital,” recounted L. Narsing Rao from Vani Leather Shop near the bus-stop.
Rakesh, another shopkeeper, said many people had gathered outside a watch repair shop when the blast happened. Most of them fell down.
The impact was so powerful that mirrors and glass doors of shops up to the third floor of the Giriji Lokeshnand Complex where the incident happened, were shattered totally. A shop named ‘Dress Code’ received the maximum impact near the location.
Two youngsters Rafi, 24 and Laddu, 26 who sat on the steps of the shop were seriously injured. Viewers inside the Konark theatre rushed out as the floor under their feet shook due to the blast impact. Chaos prevailed at the blast location in Dilsukhnagar. Police forced closure of shops, as rumours were rife about more bombs at other locations. Phones were jammed, and SMSs could not be sent out. Parents frantically calling their wards could not connect immediately, resulting in widespread panic.
