Need Your advice.

[rajan]

I took out these lines from the Newspaper

Quote As many as six people are learnt to have been killed in the blasts.

The blast comes hours before Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is to take oath as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the attack, the sources said. Unquote

My Question is present tense has been used in the 2nd paragraph because in a newspaper and other magzines, when we narrate an incident, it should be in a present tense. Am I right ?

But if want to narrate this incident to my friend, then it would like this. I am making this changes in bold. Please advise on this.

As many as six people was learnt to have been killed in the blasts

The blast came hours before Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was / had to take oath as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad had claimed responsibility for the attack, the sources said. Unquote

can you please also suggest - In First Para, as many as is synonmyous with Around or not. What is the meaning of "As many as"

[RonBee]

I would say:

As many as six people, it has been learned, have been killed in the blasts. The blast came hours before Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was to take the oath of office. Militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility for the attack, sources say.

What do you think?