Serial blasts rock Delhi

An Ambulance carrying wounded people drives away following a blast at connaught place in central New Delhi. (AFP Photo)

People carry an injured woman after a bomb explosion in New Delhi. (AP Photo)

Bomb explosion rock Barakhambha road in New Delhi. (AP Photo)

A security official inspects a blast site in New Delhi. (AFP Photo) A man lies on the road, after a bomb explosion in New Delhi. (AP Photo)

Five explosions rocked three crowded markets in Delhi on Saturday evening, leaving at least 18 people dead. The blasts at Ghaffar market in Karol Bagh, Connaught Place and Greater Kailash (M-block) took place in a quick succession, police said. The first blast took place at Ghaffar market in which at least 20 people were injured. They were rushed to nearby RML Hospital. Immediately after that, two explosions took place in Connaught Place in which at least 10 people were injured. Another explosion rocked M-Block market in Greater Kailash-I. The impact of the blasts in Karol Bagh could be gauged by the fact that an auto was thrown up and got caught in the electrical wires. Senior Police officials including Joint Commissioner of Police Karnail Singh rushed to the spot in the central district and were assessing the situation. SIMI has claimed responsibility for the blasts and has termed them as 'Operation Bad'. Earlier, in an email to media organisations, Indian Mujahideen, the terror outfit that had claimed responsibility for the July 26 Ahmedabad blasts, said it had carried out the serial blasts in Delhi. It threatened that there would be nine blasts in all. Sarojini Nagar market, scene of the pre-Diwali eve blasts in 2005, in which more than 60 people were killed, has been evacuated.