Bombs wound 200 in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Bombs tore through four movie theaters packed with Muslims celebrating the end of Ramadan Saturday, killing at least 17 people and wounding 200, police and witnesses said.\nThe bombs went off within 30 minutes of each other starting at about 6 p.m., and were believed to have been planted in the projection rooms of the theaters, a police official said on condition of anonymity.\nMany of the victims were injured by falling bricks or steel. The death toll could rise because some of the wounded were in critical condition, doctors said.\nThe movie theaters in the town of Mymensingh, about 70 miles north of the capital Dhaka, were crowded with people celebrating Eid-al-Fitr, the Islamic festival marking the end of Ramadan. About 3,000 people were believed to be inside and around the theaters when the explosions occurred.\n"It was a terrible scene. Doctors were overwhelmed with so many injured people being brought at the hospital," said Muzahed Ahmed, a university teacher who took part in the rescue work.\nA local television channel reported that a fifth explosion at a movie theater outside Mymensingh, but police denied that.\nNo one claimed responsibility for the blasts. Police chief Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury said the explosions appeared to be "the works of an organized group," but did not identify any suspects.\nTen people were killed instantly, while five others died on way to a hospital, a local resident quoted doctors as saying. Two other men died later of their injuries.\nJahangir Alam, a journalist, was standing near one of the theaters before the explosions occurred.\n"I heard a big bang and then saw many people running for shelter," Alam told The Associated Press by phone. "There were bodies lying in blood and many injured crying for help."\nHospital officials have appealed for blood donations to treat the injured. Hundreds of relatives gathered outside the government hospital and several others to get information about their loved ones.\nOne bomb exploded as people came out of a movie theater after a show. Movies were on at the time of the explosions.\nSimilar bombings of a theater and a circus show killed six people and wounded 200 in September in the southwest.