Washington: US President George W Bush and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on August 26 joined the international community in expressing outrage over the twin car blasts in Mumbai terming them as "acts of terror", "despicable act" and called for close co-operation among nations to combat the scourge of terrorism.

Indian organisations in UK and US also condemned the bombings and demanded strong action by the Indian government to deter and eliminate terrorists.

"I strongly condemn the bombings. On behalf of all Americans, I send condolences to all affected by today's (August 25) tragedy and to the government and people of India," Bush said in a statement.

"Acts of terror are intended to sow fear and chaos among free peoples. I hope that the perpetrators of these murders will be identified quickly and brought to justice," Bush said.

UN Secretary General described the bombings as "despicable acts" of terrorism and said he "adamantly opposed all acts of terrorism, from whatever quarter."

Fifty people were killed and about 140 were injured in twin blasts that rocked the famous monument of Gateway of India and city's jewellery market in what intelligence sources suspect is the handiwork of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said "the terrorist acts in Mumbai once more highlight the need for close unity of all the members of the world community in combating the global scourge of international terrorism."

PTI