5 people killed in a blast at Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid
Hyderabad: Five persons were killed and eight others, including two children, were injured when a powerful bomb exploded during Friday prayers at the historic Mecca mosque in the Charminar area of the old city in Hyderabad.
Two live bombs were also detected from the spot soon after the explosions and were defused.
The bomb exploded when thousands of people were gathered in the mosque for Friday prayers, DCP, South Zone, Kanta Rao, said.
The injured, some of them bleeding profusely, were rushed to Osmania and other hospitals by the worshippers in whatever modes of transport they could arrange.
The explosion created such a panic that those gathered for the prayers started running towards the exit gate of the mosque, said to be over 400 years old and considered sacred by Muslims in and outside the state.
A large posse of police personnel, who arrived on the scene, faced an angry crowd, who pelted stones at them and the shops in the vicinity. Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd.
Chief Minister, Rajashekhar Reddy, who rushed back to Hyderabad from Delhi, said five people have died and 7-8 others were injured in the explosion.
He said only one bomb exploded while two other live bombs were defused on the spot. The situation, he said, was under control.
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