Eleven people were killed and many more were injured as serial blasts ripped through busy commercial hubs of Hyderabad on Thursday evening.

Around 7-15 p.m., the first blast occurred near a cinema theatre in Dilsukhnagar area on the busy Vijayawada highway. Another bomb exploded soon after in the same area sending shockwaves and panic across the city.

Initially, the explosions were thught to be gas cylinder blasts. City police chief Anurag Sharma said that special teams have been deployed to investigate the cause, ruling out neither sabotage nor terror.

Fire-tenders and ambulances were rushed to the spot, even as the police tried to cordon off the area and halt traffic flow towards the busy area. The injured have been taken to a corporate hospital nearby and the government-run Osmania Hospital, which is about 5 km away.

Dilsukhnagar, where the explosions occurred, is a commercial hub with malls, eateries and educational centres.

The area, which sees heavy floating population, adjoins the Old City. . Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde reportedly said there was an intelligence alert of an attack.

PM calls for calm

The Prime Minister condemned the bomb attack and urged the people to remain calm and maintain peace. He directed the central agencies to extend all help to the Andhra Pradesh authorities.

The commandos of National Security Guard have been deployed and a team of National Investigating Agency is also visiting the spot.

“This is a dastardly attack, the guilty will not go unpunished,” the Prime Minister said.

>amitmitra@thehindu.co.in

>Somasekhar.m@thehindu.co.in

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