Maldives Blast Injures 12 Tourists

British, Japanese and Chinese visitors hurt by homemade device

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 29, 2007 2:38 PM CDT

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Maldives Blast Injures 12 Tourists — Police officers investigate the site of a bomb explosion at the Sultan Park in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007. A homemade bomb exploded Saturday outside a crowded city park in the Maldives, wounding at least 12 people, all of them foreign tourists, a government official said. (AP Photo/Ahmed... (Associated Press)

Twelve tourists are in the hospital after a homemade bomb exploded in the Maldives capital of Male. The bomb, which was detonated with a cell phone, a gas cylinder and a washing machine motor, is a first for the Maldives, a tranquil country. “We are taking this very seriously because tourism is our life blood," said a government spokesman.

It's not yet known who was responsible for the attack, nor what the motive was. The bomb exploded near Male’s main mosque, injuring two Japanese, eight Chinese and two British tourists—all of whom are in stable condition. The explosion happened near army headquarters, the BBC reports, under the watchful eye of security cameras. Maldives is located off the coast of India. (More Maldives stories.)

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