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Investigators suspect the bomb was an improvised device. The reason for the blast is yet to be determined.
At least eight people have been injured in India’s tech capital when a suspected home-made bomb went off inside a popular cafe, officials say.
The blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in eastern Bengaluru occurred just after 1pm (07:30 GMT) on Friday when crowds from nearby offices were lined up for a quick meal.
A “small improvised explosive device” blew up at the busy eatery, causing panic, Siddaramaiah, chief minister of Karnataka state, who goes by one name, wrote on the social media platform X.
Bengaluru, known as “India’s Silicon Valley”, is home to many of the country’s top information technology companies.
Siddaramaiah said preliminary investigations suggested the explosive was hidden in a bag left by someone who had breakfast at the cafe.
“Around eight people were injured in the incident,” he said, promising “strict action against the culprits”.
Police were investigating the incident, he said.
“Whoever did this will be found out,” he added.
Divya Raghavendra Rao, co-founder and managing director of the cafe chain, said she was told there were two explosions within 10 seconds of each other.
“It happened in the area where customers wash their hands. … Something that was kept in a bag exploded,” Rao told the local TV9 news channel.
State Home Minister G Parameshwara told reporters that all the injured were in hospital and none was in life-threatening condition.
Explosion at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe caught on CCTV camera
(Video source: Police) pic.twitter.com/lhMtK3rsOs
— ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2024
Mobile camera videos shot soon after the blast and aired by local TV channels showed a cloud of smoke in the restaurant and one employee walking away with his hands covering his ears.
Some injured men were being helped to walk away by employees, their hands wrapped in bandages.
A pillar inside the cafe was damaged.
“I heard a loud sound and rushed to the spot and could see some smoke,” Shabarish, a witness, told TV9.
Some people had injuries to their arms and legs, and identification cards were strewn around the cafe in the chaos, he added.
The cafe’s CCTV footage has been handed over to police, and investigations about the cause of the blast were under way.
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