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Pakistan blast 'kills 45' at Wagah border with India Pakistan blast 'kills 50' at Wagah border with India
(about 1 hour later)
At least 45 people have been killed and more than 70 injured in a suspected suicide bombing at a Pakistan-India border town near the city of Lahore. At least 50 people have been killed and more than 70 injured in a suicide bombing close to Pakistan's only border crossing with India.
A senior security official in Punjab province said that the dead included three members of the border force. The blast hit near the checkpoint at the Wagah border crossing, near Lahore.
The explosion happened on the Pakistan side near the famous Wagah crossing between the two countries. A militant group linked to the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Crowds gather every day at the crossing to watch soldiers conduct a flag-lowering ceremony as the border closes. Jundullah said the blast was in response to the military's offensive against militants in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
Police told the BBC at least 15 of those injured were seriously wounded. Officials said the dead included three members of the border force. At least 15 of those injured were seriously wounded.
Mushtaq Sukhera, the Punjab police chief, said the blast happened when a suicide attacker approached a restaurant after the Wagah ceremony and detonated his explosives. Scattered bodies
He told Reuters news agency the attacker had struck when security had been "a bit relaxed". The Wagah crossing is a high-profile target, with large crowds gathering every day to watch an elaborate flag-lowering ceremony as the border closes.
A BBC reporter in Lahore said the suicide attacker blew himself up 500 meters away from the crossing point. Mushtaq Sukhera, the Punjab police chief, told the Reuters news agency that the blast happened when a suicide attacker approached a restaurant after the day's ceremony.
Another witness, an intelligence official, described how he was sitting in his office when he heard the blast. One witness, an intelligence official, said he was sitting in his office when he heard the blast.
"I rushed to the scene and saw scattered bodies, injured men, women and children and smashed cars," the official told Reuters."I rushed to the scene and saw scattered bodies, injured men, women and children and smashed cars," the official told Reuters.
Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan described the blast as an "act of terror".Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan described the blast as an "act of terror".
"Shocked and saddened by suicide attack nr Wagah border," the former international cricketer tweeted."Shocked and saddened by suicide attack nr Wagah border," the former international cricketer tweeted.
An Indian security official said the Indian side of the border was not affected by the explosion, Reuters reported.An Indian security official said the Indian side of the border was not affected by the explosion, Reuters reported.
Dozens of people use the Wagah crossing to enter India and Pakistan every day, says the BBC's Shumaila Jaffrey in Lahore. Dozens of people use the Wagah crossing to enter India and Pakistan every day, says the BBC's Shumaila Jaffrey in Lahore, as it is the only road crossing between the two countries.
It is also a crucial trade facility, where truck-loads of goods coming from and going to India are loaded and unloaded.It is also a crucial trade facility, where truck-loads of goods coming from and going to India are loaded and unloaded.
A large number of people attend the border parade on Sundays, our reporter adds.A large number of people attend the border parade on Sundays, our reporter adds.
The government has been engaged in a long-running conflict with the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP.
The TTP announced a month-long ceasefire in March aimed at reviving peace talks with the government. But after the ceasefire ended in April the Pakistani army launched an offensive in the group's heartland in North Waziristan.