It is not the first time Mumbai falls pray to a terrorist attack. Since 1993 the bustling mega-city of India had been subjected to a number of bomb blasts [1] and the shocking events of 2008 Mumbai attacks [2] still haunt many people of the world, especially citizens of India.
On Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at around 7:00 PM in the evening, three coordinated bombs exploded in Javeri Bazaar, Opera House and Dadar, all in crowded areas. Javeri Bazaar in south Mumbai is a busy market area which is visited by a million visitors daily. So far reports have been coming that at least 21 people have been killed [3] and scores have been injured. Mumbai was soon placed on high alert as the citizens of Mumbai relived a day of terror.
[4]Mumbai Police examines the blast site near D’Silva High School in the Dadar district. Image by Pradeep Paliwal. Copyright Demotix July 13, 2011.
So far no organization has claimed responsibility for today's blasts. The social media scene was equally busy, just as netizens used it extensively during the 2008 attacks. Tweeps like Dina Mehta [5] were quick to provide regular updates on news and how to help. This time around we have seen a more comprehensive effort by many netizens:
@Dina [6]: mumbai help spreadsheet – offers of help across the city being compiled in an open doc https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?hl=en_US&key=tE-okpwwYgQavia5opgZSEA&toomany=true [7] #mumbaiblasts
The document in the above Tweet titled “Mumbai Help [7],” appears to be started by Nitin Sagar [8]. This, along with a few more [9] provides contact and other information for Mumbai residents [10], and is collating information on help they can provide. More lists of the dead and the injured were online [11] within a couple of hours. BloodAid [12] circulated blood donation info via Twitter.
An Ushahidi based crowd-sourcing of information titled Mumbai Unites [13] also has been put-up online. The Wikipedia page [14] is updating latest information. The mainstream media also did crowd-sourcing of their own like the live blogs at the Wall Street Journal [15], the Guardian [16] and Reuters [17] and the Tweets of the Mid Day [18].
[19]A bomb blast victim being taken to JJ Hospital in Mumbai. Image by Pradeep Paliwal. Copyright Demotix 13 July, 2011.
People were horrified by some of the pictures [20] that have been in circulation online:
AnandWrites [21]: Some of first, horrific pictures from #MumbaiBlasts. Tragic. Click only if prepared: http://bit.ly/qRopPX + http://bit.ly/ohA1of
There had been some rumors but they were quickly dispelled by netizens.
Harini Calamur at POV critiques the television coverage [22]:
We were generally chatting and catching up on films, life and other things when the call came. Blasts in Mumbai – 3 of them. Turned on TV. some people – ‘journalists’ screaming and yelling. the anchors sounding gleeful (switched 3 channels – same behaviour). eye witnesses played in a loop. by the third time JKD was able to perfectly deliver an eye witnesses’ lines. And then she (JKD) asked an important question – why are they not telling us exactly where the blasts happened instead of this crap. Where in Dadar, Where in Jhaveri Bazaar. Where ??
Harini continues:
If we live in a society that is fairly open and mostly free – there is a price to be paid – because there will always be people who want to break your resilience and your spirit through violence
And she is positive about the crisis management:
There will of course be questions to asked and answered. But for today – apart from some random spouting there seems to be unity.
Another blogger Dilip D'Souza at Death Ends Fun describes [23] how life goes on as usual in Mumbai amidst all the hullabaloo about the blasts.
Please follow real time reactions on Twitter (#MumbaiBlasts [24]). You can also read the Storify collage of Tweets [25] curated by Global Voices Author Asteris Masouras who lives in Thessaloniki, Greece.