Two people have been killed and at least 10 others injured in a bomb explosion on a bus in India's main commercial city, Bombay, the authorities say.

People standing around were injured by flying bits of the bus

Kripa Shankar Singh, minister

The blast occurred near the railway station in the central area of Ghatkopar in Bombay (also known as Mumbai) at about 1845 (1315 GMT).

The injured have been taken to hospital where their condition is stable, Kripa Shankar Singh, junior state minister for home affairs, told the BBC.

"The explosion took place in the rear of the bus," he said.

"People standing around were injured by flying bits of the bus."

Bystanders

Police said that the bus was empty and parked in a yard when the explosion occurred. The injured had been standing nearby.

One survivor, a fruit vendor, had wounds to his hands.

"We heard a loud explosion and everyone began running away. I saw the back of the bus blown off," he said from his hospital bed.

Bombay was the scene of a number of bomb blasts in March 1993 in which more than 250 people were killed.

Underworld gangs were blamed for the 1993 attacks.