Wednesday, July 12 2006 10:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Terror and mayhem struck Mumbai and Srinagar, two cities 1600 km apart in the west and north of India, killing at least 143 people, the majority of them in suburban trains in the country's financial and entertainment capital.

The bombings began in downtown Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, in the morning, killing eight people in five blasts. Most of the dead were domestic tourist from Kolkata who died after a grenade attack on their tour bus in downtown Srinagar.

"By evening high-intensity bombs rocked Mumbai in crowded trains and platforms along the western suburbs, taking a toll of at least 135 lives and injuring dozens more in seven bombings," officials and police said.

However, officials were unwilling to connect the bombings in the two cities. No one had claimed responsibility though security officials privately said they were the handiwork of Pakistan-based terror groups like the Lashker-e-Taiba that has been the major of terror attacks in India in recent years.

The targets of bombings in Mumbai during the evening rush hour were the suburban train service that is the lifeline of the city. The stations that were targeted were Khar, Mahim, Matunga, Jogeshwari, Borivili, Bhayandra (Mira Road) and the Khar-Santa Cruz subway.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh confirmed that 135 had died and nearly 300 were injured.

"This was a very well orchestrated operation," said P.S. Pasrich, Maharashtra director-general of police.

Arup Patnaik, joint commissioner of police, Mumbai, said ,"It looks like a terrorist hand though I cannot confirm it."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went into a crisis meeting with his senior cabinet colleagues to deal with the situation as a high alert was sounded in the capital and important installations and facilities across the country, including in Bangalore, the technology capital, in the south.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil, reading out a message on behalf of the prime minister, termed the bombings a 'shocking and cowardly attempt to spread terror' and said India was committed to fighting terror in all its forms.

The prime minister asked the people to remain calm and not to believe in rumours and the country will not succumb to the designs of terrorists.

Mumbai was rocked by serial bombings in 1993 when more than 270 people were killed in the wake of the razing of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya in December 1992.

According to the railway ministry, the blasts occurred within minutes of each other with the first blast being reported at 6.24 p.m. at Santa Cruz in a local train going to Virar.

"Seven blasts have occurred, with two at stations and five on local trains, all down trains carrying people back home from work," the ministry statement said.