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At least 60 reported killed in explosion in Pakistan’s Lahore At least 60 reported killed in explosion in Pakistan’s Lahore
(35 minutes later)
BREAKING NEWS: Death toll rises to at least 60. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An explosion ripped through crowds of families gathered at a public park in the eastern city of Lahore on Sunday, killing at least 60 people and injuring 300, according to local officials.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — At least 44 people were killed in an explosion in a crowded public park in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Sunday evening, media reports said, quoting security officials. The attack appeared to have been carried out by a suicide bomber in the parking lot of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, a vast space where families had flocked to picnic and celebrate the Easter holiday. Police said most of the dead and injured were women and children, according to the Reuters news agency.
The attack appeared to have been carried out by a suicide bomber in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, where families were picnicking for the Easter holiday, a senior police official told the Associated Press. More than 100 people were injured. Three days of mourning were announced by the government of Punjab province, where the attack occurred and which is Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s stronghold. A statement from the office of Punjab’s chief minister, Shahbaz Sharif, who is the prime minister’s brother, has pledged to ensure that the culprits are brought to trial, the Associated Press reported.
“Most of the dead and injured are women and children,” said Mustansar Feroz, superintendent of police for the area, according to the news agency Reuters.
Salman Rafiq, the health adviser to the chief minister of Punjab province, where the attack occurred, said 44 people were killed, according to the Associated Press.
[In deadly attack on Pakistani college, extremists take new aim at students]
Witnesses described body parts scattered in the park in the wake of the attack, which occurred near an exit gate, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.
Lahore is the capital of Punjab province, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s stronghold.
Pakistan has suffered for years from Islamist militancy, including a Taliban insurgency in the tribal areas along the Afghanistan border.Pakistan has suffered for years from Islamist militancy, including a Taliban insurgency in the tribal areas along the Afghanistan border.
[In deadly attack on Pakistani college, extremists take new aim at students]
On Sunday, witnesses described body parts scattered in the wake of the attack, which occurred near one of the park’s many exit gates, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported. Images posted on social media showed panic and chaos in the moments after the blast and medics ferrying the wounded away on stretchers.
Lahore’s top security official, Haider Ashraf, told local media that both Christian and Muslim families had gone to the park to celebrate the holiday weekend. It was unclear Sunday whether the attack specifically targeted Christians, who make up about 1 percent of Pakistan’s population of 190 million. The Christian community has maintained a larger presence in Lahore, analysts say.
Punjab is the wealthiest and most populous province in Pakistan.
Cunningham reported from Kabul.
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