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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Mark Oliver

Helping Mumbai


Relatives look at a board with a list of victims as they search for relatives at a hospital in Mumbai. Photograph: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty
The Mumbai police have set up a web page linking to lists of the dead and injured from yesterday's terror attacks in the city.

The death toll this morning was standing at 183 with some 700 people injured.

Shortly after yesterday's blasts, bloggers were also offering help and information. Some of them were among the many office workers who stayed late last night, keeping track of developments via television and the web and allowing time for the ensuing transport chaos to ease.

One of the most useful sites is Mumbaihelp, which is offering to assist people who are anxiously trying to reach relatives or friends in the city, India's financial hub. The people behind the blog also created a similar help blog after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

Mumbaihelp is also being updated with travel information and is carrying appeals for blood donations. One blogger on the site calls for Indian television channels to stop showing images of dead bodies.

Journalist Amit Varma, who contributes to Mumbaihelp, also has a blog, Indiauncut, which has a useful set of links for mainstream news sites and other blogs. The Times of India has good coverage of the attacks, and, at the time of writing, was leading with George Bush's

condemnation of the bombings.

Regarding the investigation, the paper says RDX explosive could have been used and that a stockpile of it may still exist in the city.

Police said today that they are investigating whether Kashmiri separatists are to blame. Two groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, made denials of involvement and condemned the attacks, although it was unclear how seriously security sources were taking these. A huge investigation is under way and police said they have some "leads".

One blog, at mumbai.metblogs.com has a range of comment and testimonials and a collection of photographs of the terrible aftermath.

In London, the Foreign Office has updated its travel advice to India, urging visitors to practice "increased vigilance". The full advice can be read on the Foreign Office website.

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