Security forces and citizens attend to wounded victims of bomb blasts in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, yesterday.
TWO EXPLOSIONS ripped through the commercial centre of Trinidad and Tobago's capital, Port-of-Spain, yesterday injuring 14 persons and forcing a shutdown of the nation's Parliament.
"We're trying to determine what caused the explosions, if it was a home-made device or some kind of explosive like a grenade or something to that nature," Police Commissioner Trevor Paul said on local radio.
The incendiary devices detonated in a garbage bin. No deaths were reported, said Paul and Junior National Security Minister, Fitzgerald Hinds.
The blasts forced Parliament to cut short its session a few kilometres away, and workers at government offices, private businesses and embassies around the city were sent home.
A large section of the Caribbean nation's capital was cordoned off while police, soldiers and the fire service investigated.
TERROR FEARS
Hinds said he could not comment on speculation that the explosions might have been an act of terrorism.
"What we do know is that it is an explosion. It didn't seem to be some accident from any transformer, or electrically generated," he said.
Prime Minister Patrick Manning has promised that every effort will be made to capture the perpetrators of what he described as "this dastardly act".
He noted that he had already instructed the head of the Special Branch and the relevant intelligence authorities to gather the required intelligence and to do everything possible to ensure that citizens are able to go about their legitimate business without fear and with confidence in the security forces.
"All emergency plans are in place to cope with consequential activities and the government will do everything to ensure normality is returned in the shortest possible time," Mr. Manning said.
Jamaica's Information Minister Senator Burchell Whiteman told journalists during yesterday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House that Prime Minister P.J. Patterson extended the "concern and sympathy of the Government and people of Jamaica" to the Trinidadian Government.
NOT CONFINED
The Information Minister noted that though the cause behind the bombings was not yet known, the incident was a reminder that persons who engage in acts of destruction and terrorism were not confined to any particular geographical location.
Reports are that about 2:30 p.m., two explosions, seconds apart, rocked the corner of Queen and Frederick streets, a busy thoroughfare in the city on which numerous government agencies and businesses are located. The blasts created a state of panic, sending scores of frightened motorists and pedestrians in a mad rush to leave the city.
"Right now people are just trying to get away, some phone lines are down and businesses are being evacuated. I had two customs clerks in the city but they managed to get back to base safely," said Sean Rampersad, operations director at Ramps Customs Logistics, a customs and shipping entity with headquarters in Woodbrook on the outskirts of Port-of-Spain.
Richard Singh, one of the clerks, told The Gleaner that he was having lunch at a mall when he heard the first of two explosions nearby.
"I was at Excellent City Mall having lunch and I heard an explosion. I did not pay it any mind but when I heard another, I said something is wrong," recalled Mr. Singh. "I ran outside and I saw people running down Frederick Street and smoke was coming from the mall I was in."
Judy Ann Babwah, communications consultant at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of National Security, told The Gleaner that her organisation had informed its parent entity that its staff was ready to assist with disaster management.
"At this time we do not know the cause of the blasts but the protective services, including the fire department, the military and the police are now on the scene conducting their investigations," said Ms. Babwah.
One vendor, who was selling in the burnt-out site, said his heart stopped beating when the explosion hit. "I get lift off my seat," he said. "I saw a lady leg get blown off. I saw holes in another man side."
Another woman said she just left the telephone booth on the corner of Queen and Frederick, when it occurred. "I just get so vex with the phone for stealing my quarters so I leave. The next thing you know this happened," she said.
PANDAY FLAYS MANNING
Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday said the bomb explosion is the clearest indication that the Patrick Manning regime has failed in its duty to protect the country's citizens.
He also called on the country to "unite" in the wake of the tragic event, saying the time has come for the Opposition to have a direct involvement in the country's security affairs.
"It's very sad indeed," said Panday as he left the Parliament yesterday around 2.15 p.m.. "What this says is that Mr. Manning has been making jokes to the country all the time about its safety," he later added.
Staff Reporter Monique Hepburn, Reuters, and the Trinidad Guardian newspaper contributed to this story.
