CIRENCESTER teachers have told of their shock at witnessing the aftermath of the Indian terrorist bombings.

The group from Kingshill School were staying in New Delhi as part of a two week cultural exchange but were on a trip to the Taj Mahal on the day of the attacks which killed scores of people across the city.

Matt Pauling, director of sport at Kingshill, described how the group narrowly missed the drama.

He said: "We were very lucky it happened when we were out of town so the initial impact had resolved itself by the time we got back."

He explained the bombs had been targeted at small markets used by local people to stock up on supplies ready for Diwali, the Hindu festival of light.

He said: "The bombs went off in different parts of the city but not near where we were and they were aimed at local markets more than tourist ones.

"The bombs were meant for Diwali and were politically motivated so everything was a bit muted afterwards. We couldn't do as much as we wanted because we stayed away from public places."

The twelve students and two teachers jetted back into the country on Thursday after spending a packed fortnight staying with their counterparts from Mother's International School.

Mr Pauling said the trip had been a real eye opener for staff and pupils alike, despite the bombing drama.

He said: "The purpose of the visit was to see their school and how different it is to ours, to sample their culture and find out what it is like to live there.

"It was an amazing experience, it was like a sensory overload. I still can't quite get my head around it all - the smells, tastes, colours."

During the two weeks the pupils took part in classes with their Indian hosts and helped bring a bit of Kingshill's sporting experience to a new audience.

Mr Pauling said: "They organised a sports festival for 180 children with football, rounders, netball, touch rugby and kendo to give them all a opportunity to try them out."

Kingshill now wants to build on the link with Mother's International and run more exchange projects in the future.