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Blast kills 8 in a bakery near ashram in India

13 February 2010 18:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. powerful explosion ripped through a crowded bakery in the western Indian city of Pune on Saturday, killing at least eight people and injuring 32 others near a famed meditation center frequented by foreigners, an official said, APA reports citing Associated Press.

Ashok Chavan, the top elected official of Maharashtra state, said police were investigating whether it was a cooking gas cylinder that exploded by accident or a bomb.

But Press Trust of India quoted federal Home Secretary G.K. Pillai as saying that it was most probably a terror attack. Top police officer Rajender Sonawania was also quoted as saying the initial indications were that it was a bomb blast.
"But it’s not confirmed," Sonawania told reporters.

India’s financial hub Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra state were put on high alert, said Chhagan Bhujbal, the state deputy chief minister.

The explosion occurred in German Bakery close to the Osho Ashram, a mediation center of a famed Indian guru, often frequented by foreigners.

Indian television news channels said the casualties included some foreigners.