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| Lahore blast: 65 killed and at least 300 injured outside public park in eastern Pakistan | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| At least 65 people have been killed and another 300 injured in a blast outside a public park in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore. | |
| Police said the nature of the blast was not clear but that officers are investigating whether the attack was a suicide bomb. It is believed that the bomb detonated on Sunday evening in local time, when many Christian families were visiting the Gulshan-e-Iqbal park area to celebrate Easter. The bomb detonated as families were leaving the park and the majority of victims are believed to be women and children. It is believed to have detonated close to children's swings. | Police said the nature of the blast was not clear but that officers are investigating whether the attack was a suicide bomb. It is believed that the bomb detonated on Sunday evening in local time, when many Christian families were visiting the Gulshan-e-Iqbal park area to celebrate Easter. The bomb detonated as families were leaving the park and the majority of victims are believed to be women and children. It is believed to have detonated close to children's swings. |
| Officials say that at least 65 people have died and a further 300 people are injured- of the injured, at least 50 are children. It is reported that many of the injured have been seriously harmed in the explosion, prompting fears that the death toll could rise considerably higher. | |
| Rescue officials said that the bodies of more than 30 deceased had been taken to hospitals around the city. All hospitals in the city have been put on emergency alert to tend to the injured. | Rescue officials said that the bodies of more than 30 deceased had been taken to hospitals around the city. All hospitals in the city have been put on emergency alert to tend to the injured. |
| Salman Rafique, health advisor to the Punjab provincial government, said: "Many [of the wounded] are in operation theatres now being treated and we fear the death toll may climb considerably." | Salman Rafique, health advisor to the Punjab provincial government, said: "Many [of the wounded] are in operation theatres now being treated and we fear the death toll may climb considerably." |
| Senior police officer Haider Ashraf says the explosion appeared to be a suicide bombing but that investigations were ongoing to establish the cause. | Senior police officer Haider Ashraf says the explosion appeared to be a suicide bombing but that investigations were ongoing to establish the cause. |
| He said that the park was manned by police and security guards, telling reporters: "We are in a war like situation and there is always a general threat but no specific alert threat was received for this place." | He said that the park was manned by police and security guards, telling reporters: "We are in a war like situation and there is always a general threat but no specific alert threat was received for this place." |
| Eye witnesses have described the scene as chaotic and said that a stampede ensued following the blast, causing children to be separated from parents. | Eye witnesses have described the scene as chaotic and said that a stampede ensued following the blast, causing children to be separated from parents. |
| Javed Ali, who lives opposite the park, told local media that the force of the blast shattered the windows of his home. He said: "Everything was shaking- there were cries and dust everywhere. After ten minutes I went outside. There was human flesh on the walls of our house." | Javed Ali, who lives opposite the park, told local media that the force of the blast shattered the windows of his home. He said: "Everything was shaking- there were cries and dust everywhere. After ten minutes I went outside. There was human flesh on the walls of our house." |
| He added: "It was overcrowded because of Easter- there were a lot of Christians there. It was so crowded I told my family not to go." | He added: "It was overcrowded because of Easter- there were a lot of Christians there. It was so crowded I told my family not to go." |
| Hasan Imran, 30, says he was talking an evening walk in the park when the explosion detonated. He said: "When the blast occured the flames were so high they reached above the trees and I saw bodies flying in the air." | Hasan Imran, 30, says he was talking an evening walk in the park when the explosion detonated. He said: "When the blast occured the flames were so high they reached above the trees and I saw bodies flying in the air." |
| The government of Punjab has issued an urgent appeal online for blood donations to help treat the wounded. The government's official twitter accounted posted a message offering free transport to anyone who wished to donate blood. | |
| Chief minister of the Punjab province Shahbaz Sharif has announced three days of official morning and vowed to bring those responsible before the courts. | Chief minister of the Punjab province Shahbaz Sharif has announced three days of official morning and vowed to bring those responsible before the courts. |
| Local officials have ordered all play parks in the province to shut. | Local officials have ordered all play parks in the province to shut. |
| Pakistan has long struggled with issues of Taliban insurgency, criminal gangs and sectarian violence. Lahore is the capital of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's political heartland Punjab, which is the country's biggest and wealthiest province. | Pakistan has long struggled with issues of Taliban insurgency, criminal gangs and sectarian violence. Lahore is the capital of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's political heartland Punjab, which is the country's biggest and wealthiest province. |
| As of yet, no groups or organisations have claimed responsibility for the blast. | As of yet, no groups or organisations have claimed responsibility for the blast. |
| More to follow | More to follow |