HINDU TEMPLE CITY BLAST IN INDIA

Indian temple city hit by blasts

The temple was packed at the time of the blast. At least 15 people have been killed in three explosions in the northern Indian pilgrimage city of Varanasi. At least 60 others were injured, police said. The first blast occurred at a Hindu temple and was followed by two more at the main railway station. Police also said they defused two bombs in the city. No-one has so far said they were behind the attacks. Varanasi is the religious capital of Hinduism and is usually packed with Indian pilgrims and foreign tourists. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm. The city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, about 670km (415 miles) south-east of the capital Delhi, has a history of religious violence.

The first explosion took place in the major Sankot Mochan temple dedicated to the Hindu God Hanuman at about 1815 local time (1245 GMT) . People were screaming, saying that there had been a big bomb blast said Francesco Marino eyewitness.

In pictures: Deadly blasts
Eyewitness: 'It was terrible'
High priest horrified

At least 10 people were killed and a number of others injured in the blast, Uttar Pradesh officials said. An eyewitness, Siddharth Suri, told the BBC that thousands of people were at the temple at the time of the blast. Tuesday is a special day at the Sankat Mochan temple and the explosion took place just minutes before the main worship. "There was a loud explosion followed by dust. There was pandemonium in the front of the temple," Mr Suri said. "The explosion at the temple is horrific and shocking to me," high priest of the temple Veer Bhadra Mishra told the BBC News website. "The Sankat Mochan temple is loved, respected and revered by so many people as a place of religious worship and ritual. I am so pained," the priest said. The complex would have been packed with worshippers and the fear is the explosion was timed to have maximum impact, the BBC's Nadvip Dhariwal in Delhi reports.

Minutes later, the city's main railway station was rocked by two blasts, with eyewitnesses saying they saw a number of casualties. One of the blasts occurred in a train carriage reportedly packed with passengers, and the other near the station's ticket counter.

Officials said experts also defused two bombs - on the bank of the River Ganges and at a city market. One of the bombs had a timing device. Police secured the sites of the blasts, and security was stepped up throughout the city. Major cities across India, including the capital Delhi, were put on high alert, following the explosions. India's cabinet committee on security, meanwhile, is holding an emergency meeting.

BBC NEWS REPORT.