World | India
Unpalatable scenes at Koti food stall
Amid the mayhem, a stack of samosas, untouched inside a glass showcase, stood mute witness to the bloodbath that tore through the extremely popular Gokul Chat eatout in central Hyderabad, killing more than 40 people.
- IANS
- Published: 23:40 August 26, 2007
Hyderabad: Amid the mayhem, a stack of samosas, untouched inside a glass showcase, stood mute witness to the bloodbath that tore through the extremely popular Gokul Chat eatout in central Hyderabad, killing more than 40 people.
Pieces of human flesh, coagulated pools of blood, blood-stained clothes and footwear lay scattered on the floor alongside fruits, eatables, plates and cutlery.
The powerful explosion was one of the two that rocked Hyderabad late on Saturday.
The victims were mainly those standing at the entrance of the eatery, located in Koti, a busy commercial area. The bomb with a timer device was kept near the ice-cream vending machine - now a mangled heap.
The make-shift roof made of iron sheets was blown off, and glass shards, bags, helmets, caps, books, pens and other belongings of the victims lay scattered.
Decapitated
Such was the impact of the blast that the head of one victim was severed while several others were defaced. Human flesh lay strewn amidst the rubble. Since the roof was hardly five feet high, the blast led to more loss of life.
The eatery could accommodate 20 to 30 people but dozens would linger on the footpath eagerly awaiting their chance. In the absence of seating arrangements, people would mill around the long iron tables that had been flung several feet away. Cold drink trays lay strewn on the road.
Melted chairs
Books scattered on the ground pointed to the students who had stopped by on their way back home from colleges or from the nearby bookshops.
The scene at the open-air auditorium at Lumbini Park was no different.
About a dozen chairs wedged into the concrete platform had been flung away as far as 20 metres. Some chairs had even melted away. Clotted blood could be seen 10 to 12 rows down despite a rainy spell in the city on Saturday night. Footwear lay all around.
The blast triggered a stampede. Police officials said the loss of life had been contained for two reasons. "First it was an open place lessening the impact. Also, the evening showers had affected the turnout with only about 500 people to watch the laser show," said one officer.
"After these blasts no citizen will feel safe. The danger may be lurking in any public place. People will prefer to remain indoors rather than coming to places like Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat," said a traffic policeman summing up the general sentiment.
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