A powerful bomb blast ripped through the roof and floor of an Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Services (AMTS) bus on the Chinubhai Nagar-Sarkhej route, killing one and injuring eight others. The blast took place around 6:30 pm, when the bus was at Juhapura near Amber Tower. “The impact of the blast was so powerful that the seats were flung far. Luckily nothing happened to the CNG tank. Had it ripped through the fuel tank, the vehicle would have caught fire resulting in more casualties and injuries to the passengers,” said Kishore Sharma, a forensic science laboratory official, who was collecting evidence from the blast site.According to Sharma, the bomb was planted in tiffin boxes kept below one of the seats. FSL officials found unexploded material inside one of the tiffin boxes and called the bomb disposal squad. The type of explosive was yet to be ascertained. “Had the pellets flown in the direction of passengers, it would have resulted in several casualties and injuries to a large number of passengers,” said Sakhej police station chief M A Chauhan.There was panic all around as the blast could be heard more than two kilometres away in neighbouring Sarkhej and Sonal Cinema Road areas. Shopkeepers and local residents from the locality rushed to the spot to help the victims. “We heard a loud sound and saw the wreckage of the bus and people crying for help,” said Naseem, an employee of a nearby petrol pump. Juhapura, situated on the western part of the city, is a Muslim-dominated area with a population of over 3 lakh.
