All that was heard was a loud thud when the first bomb went off at Opera House. After the haze cleared, witnesses saw smoke billowing all over and limbs strewn about.
Stampedes followed the realisation that bombs had gone off, eyewitnesses at all the blast sites said.
The scene at Dadar was not very different. It began with a loud thud. The next sight was a bus stop ripped apart, a car (supposed to have been carrying the bomb) heavily damaged and smoke everywhere. While frantic calls were made to the police, it was quite a long time before help arrived.
Even Zaveri Bazaar was not spared as a bomb exploded outside a famous eatery in Khaugalli, in 3rd Agiyari Lane which was bustling with people. Jewellery brokers and others associated with the market were savouring delicacies when the explosion occurred. “We heard a huge thud and within seconds white smoke engulfed the entire area. Bodies were lying in a pool of blood and limbs were everywhere. We gathered the pieces, called an ambulance and rushed them to hospital,” said Jignesh Patel, a jewellery seller.
Amrita Parab, an eyewitness to the Dadar blast, said, “Half the bus stop was torn to pieces and the Esteem (car) was damaged
quite badly. There was smoke all around. It took the police close to 20 minutes to reach the spot after the blast. Despite several frantic calls being made, the police came in quite late.”
Eyewitness Bhagam Joshi, who was at Opera House, said, “We heard a big thud and when we ran towards the spot we saw limbs strewn all around. A stampede followed in which many people were injured. The police and medical help arrived soon after. I myself helped put some bodies in the ambulance which then rushed to the hospital,” he said.
A shaken Blossom Rodrigues, 28, who works at Nariman Point, was heading to her home in Dadar (West) when the bomb took her off her feet. “I was walking along with a friend from the bus stop when I heard a loud thud and fell on the road. When I regained consciousness, everything was dark and there was smoke in the air. I went to a nearby shop, and, in the meantime, I also called my husband. People then took me to Sushruja Hospital,” Blossom said.
Nikhil Chowdhary, 19, the son of an assistant police inspector, said he was riding his motorcycle at Dadar when suddenly he heard a huge explosion and was thrown off his motorcycle. “I saw the blast first and then saw people around me bleeding. I was myself rushed to Sushruja Hospital,” Nikhil recalled.