At least 20 people were killed and 80 injured as serial blasts ripped through three busy market areas in New Delhi on Saturday, officials and news reports said, according to DPA. Police said five blasts took place in the city's crowded Ghaffar Market, Connaught Place and Greater Kailash areas within 40 minutes beginning at 6:15 pm (1245 GMT). Delhi police chief YS Dadwal said a majority of the casualties were reported from Ghaffar Market and Connaught Place. According to the PTI news agency, 16 people were killed in the Ghaffar Market explosion and four lives were lost in Connaught Place. Confirming that the deaths were the result of a terrorist attack, Federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil said, "People should maintain calm, social harmony and understanding." "Let us jointly fight the tragedy," Patil said, vowing that the culprits would be severely dealt with under the law. The blasts took place in busy areas that were crowded with weekend shoppers, and doctors treating the wounded at hospitals said the death toll could rise as some of the 80 injured were in a critical condition.
