Karachi, Aug. 8 (Reuters): Two bombs exploded within minutes of each other in a western neighbourhood of Karachi today, killing at least eight people and wounding more than 50, police and witnesses said.

The bombs were attached to two motorcycles parked outside a roadside restaurant — owned by a big religious school located next door, police said.

A police station is also located nearby, they said.

A bomb disposal squad defused a third bomb moments before it was to explode, Karachi police chief Tariq Jameel said. “First there was a small explosion, which was followed by a bigger blast,” he said.

Doctors and police said eight people were killed and more than 50 injured were taken to at least three state-run hospitals. Most of the victims were students of an Islamic school, who frequented this restaurant.

Fayyaz Leghari, a deputy inspector general of police, called the bombing “an act of terrorism.” “The aim was to create chaos,” he said.

Parts of human flesh, shreds of glass, smashed furniture and twisted pieces of damaged vehicles were scattered at the blood splattered site, witnesses said.

An official of the bomb disposal squad said all the three bombs were locally made, weighing around one to 1.5 kg.

Hezbullah, a waiter who received wounds in his chest and arm, said he was serving tea when the first blast occurred. “There was another bang as we were evacuating the injured,” he said. “Some thing hit me and I fell down ... I saw people screaming and crying for help.”

Police and paramilitary rangers threw a cordon around the site of explosion.

Akhtar Mehmood, a student, said few people came for help. “We forced people to stop their vehicles and take the injured to hospital,” he said.

More than 5,000 students from at least 50 countries study at the religious school called Jamia Binori — considered a moderate institution as it also gives modern education along with Islamic teachings.

Tariq Madani, an employee at the school, said his institution was considered a non-controversial one and kept itself away from extremism.

“But even we have been targeted. It is a shame.”

Karachi, a teeming city of more than 14 million people, has been rocked by a spate of attacks since Pakistan joined the US-led war on terrorism in 2001. Police blame Islamic extremists and al Qaida-linked militants for most attacks.

Government officials had earlier said they expect a backlash from al Qaida and its local supporters because several of their key operators were arrested in recent weeks.