Ahmedabad blast; the death toll rise to 45

The death toll from a series of bomb blasts in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad climbed to 45 as the provincial government ordered a probe along with federal agencies to search for suspects.

``Investigations with all the concerned agencies at the highest level is going on now,'' Jaynarayan Narmadasankar Vyas, health minister of the Gujarat state, said in a telephone interview from Ahmedabad today. ``The central and state intelligence agencies are coordinating in the probe.''

Terrorist attacks in Indian cities have killed more than 185 people in the past year as bombs strapped to bicycles or hidden under theater seats and near market stalls have targeted civilians. While the government typically blames foreign-trained terrorists, most of the attacks are unsolved.

The dead included three women and two children, N.R. Baraiya, an officer at the police control room in Ahmedabad, said in a telephone interview today. The toll from 16 serial blasts that rocked the city late yesterday mounted as people wounded in the attacks succumbed to injuries in hospitals, he said. City hospitals are treating more than 100 injured in the attacks.