Zeenews Bureau

Hyderabad: Terror struck Hyderabad once again. At around seven in the evening twin bomb blasts rocked the city`s Dilsukh Nagar area on Thursday with at least twelve people feared dead in the explosions.

The blasts triggered by Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) tied to two bicyles took place in the peak hour at two sites 100 metres apart outside a roadside eatery near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in the area located on the Hyderabad-Vijaywada national highway in Cyberabad police limits.

State DGP Dinesh Reddy said it was "definitely the handiwork of a terrorist network." Reddy said IEDs were used in the attack.

Union Home Secretary RK Singh said the near two simultaneous very powerful blasts indicate that it was a "terror attack".

The blasts happened simultaneously at around 7 pm.

The first blast occurred at 7:01 pm. The second blast happened at 7:06 pm.

A third bomb was found unexploded near a foot bridge.

The twin blasts, described as dastardly by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who announced a Rs two lakh exgratia to the kin of each of the victims, triggered a stampede-like situation with people trying to scamper for safety as it left a bloody trail.

The scene wore a gory look with severed body parts lying around. Footwear and various other objects were also seen indicating the desperation of the victims and the injured to flee the spot.

The Dilsukh Nagar area is thickly populated and traffic jams are routine in the evenings with officegoers and students rushing home. Large numbers of people wait at the numerous bus shelters, eateries and shops in the area.

More than 80 people have have been reported to be injured in the blasts and have been rushed to the nearby hospital. Most of the injured have been taken to Osmania and Yashoda hospital.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy visited the spot to take stock of the situation and appealed for calm. Speaking to reporters he said, "We will make sure that those behind the blasts are punished. This is an act of cowardice. Whoever has died, from the state government`s side, six lakhs will be given."

Around two days back an alert had been sounded by the intelligence agencies to couple of states of impending blasts at various places. The matter had been discussed at the Union Cabinet`s meet.

The state has been put on high alert. Alert has been sounded in the whole nation including Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi.

Talking to reporters in the national capital Union Home Minsiter Sushilkumar Shinde said that he had apprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the blasts in Hyderabad. However, he said, "Cannot speculate on the perpetrators of the blast as of now."

The city of Hyderabad was rocked by blasts last in 2007 in which 42 people were dead.

The helpline number given by the administration is 040-27854771.