At least 61 people have been confirmed dead and 188 injured as three blasts rocked crowded shopping centers in the Indian capital New Delhi on Saturday, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the bombings as an act of terrorism.

The attacks came just days ahead of the biggest Hindu and Muslim festivals in the Asian country, where more than 80 percent of the people are Hindus and over 13 percent Muslims.
   
The first blast was reported at around 5:40 PM local time from the crowded Paharganj area, one of the most congested areas in central Delhi close to the New Delhi Railway Station.
   
A closely following second one hit Sarojini Nagar, another busy shopping area in south Delhi, popular among the middle class and foreign tourists.
   
There were also reports of similar blasts from a few other areas, including Govindpuri, also a teeming market, in southern Delhi.
   
Police immediately ordered all shopping centers in the capital to shut down and appealed to the people to go back home, throwing a damper on the celebratory mood ahead of the grand festival of lights.
   
Hospital officials said that at least 61 people have been confirmed dead and 188 are being hospitalized, with some in serious condition.

Prime Minister Singh has declared that the blasts were an act of terrorism but it is still unknown who was behind the attacks.
   
Indian Home Secretary V. K. Duggal said the government was following the situation as a red alert was sounded in the capital.
   
"An alert had been sounded in all states, including Delhi, for possible terrorist attacks during the festive season," Duggal said.
   
India's Hindus will celebrate Diwali, or the lights festival on Tuesday while the Muslims will end their fasting month of Ramadan later in the week.
   
Police and fire brigade personnel immediately rushed to the blast spots for relief and rescue operations. Traffic gridlocks caused by holiday shoppers added to the woes of rescue workers.
   
In New York, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has condemned the bombings and urged the Indian government to prosecute those responsible.
   
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Annan said he is "appalled" by the crime, particularly shocked by this latest terrorist outrage which occurred on the eve of the Diwali.
   
Saturday's attacks were among the worst in a country which has been hit by several explosions in recent years.
   
In August 2004, a blast in Assam state killed 16 people, most of whom school children.
   
Twelve months earlier, two simultaneous car bombs left some 60 people dead in India's financial capital Mumbai.

(Xinhua News Agency October 30, 2005)