When all else fails, you still have the social media to bank on.
With phone lines from almost all service providers getting jammed, social networking websites Twitter and Facebook played a vital role in spreading news of individuals who were in the vicinity of the blast area among friends, relatives and colleagues.
The micro blogging sites also became a platform to make frantic appeals by users to stop spreading unnecessary rumours and vital emergency information like helpline numbers, blood banks numbers and requirement of specific blood groups were flashed in tweets and Facebook updates.
“Please do not panic if you cannot reach friends and loved ones in Dilsukhnagar on phone. Major signal congestion in Hyderabad,” tweeted Shiv Aroor. “I am home now. Don’t worry about me,” tweeted Hari Prasad, a resident of Kothapet, a locality close to Dilsukhnagar.
Within minutes of the blasts, an avalanche of angry reactions, condolences and opinions from the public literally set the social media on fire. The Twitter handle #hyderabadblasts attracted hundreds of tweets from all over the country.
Politicians under fire
Scores of users tweeted angrily over the visit of politicians to the blast sites, which attracted a lot of media attention besides hindering the work of investigative agencies.
Many railed against the lack of crowd control near the blast site. “Shameful that India does not have a standard operating procedure of how to handle a blast situation. Totally unacceptable,” tweeted another user Chandragupta Acharya.
In addition to condolence messages, there were large number of entries that talked about the rumours that similar blasts could occur in the nearby areas including Kothapet, Vanasthalipuram and L.B. Nagar. “My prayers go out to the victims of Hyderabad blasts. This is so insane! Why is everybody making tough for everybody,” wrote Nisha in a twitter entry. “Please stay away from the blast site so that important evidence would be protected,” tweeted Dr. Bhaskar.
