Mumbai blasts: 23 critical, no intelligence inputs yet

The death toll in the Mumbai serial blasts has reached 18 including that of a severed head which is yet to be identified, said the Home Minister P Chidambaram today. Twenty-three of the 131 injured are said to be serious, he added.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the blast victims.

Chidambaram rejected suggestion that there was an intelligence failure. He said, "We have made it clear to Maharashtra Police not to rule out any angle. All groups capable of carrying out such attacks are suspects."

"We will probe every hostile group. I am confidant that we will be able to zero in on the terror group behind the blasts," he added.

No intelligence inputs about yesterday's blast have been given to Central and state agencies so far, he confirmed. However, officials have confirmed of ammonium nitrate with timer devices being used in IEDs in the blasts.

He also maintained that every foreigner in India is safe and that this incident was not targeted at them, Chidambaram said, adding that every city in India is vulnerable.

Lashing out at the terror haven countries that India is situated beside, Chidambaram said, "We live in the most troubled neighbourhood. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the epicentres of terrorism."

He also did not rule out the possibility of derailing the Indo-Pak talks by terror groups carrying out the blasts.

Expressing regret over the Mumbai serial blasts, he said, "The blasts are not aimed at hitting markets. The terror group chose targets with high population density and there are inherent difficulties in policing high-density areas."

Blasts sites have been cordoned off and people are not allowed there.

Further, he said, "I am sad that the second incident of terror attack has happened after 26/11 carnage, and both of them have happened in Maharashtra."