At least 49 killed in Lahore

The blasts, which took place within a radius of 30 metre, also caused a massive fire in a crowded shopping mall. The blasts knocked out electricity supply.

Monday’s strike was the second terrorist attack in Iqbal Town. On August 13, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the same market, killing nine people, including two children.

Lahore Commissioner Khusro Pervaiz told reporters that the death toll could rise as fire-fighters struggled to put out the blaze to rescue the trapped people till late in the night.

Rescue teams retrieved several charred bodies from the building. A number of the injured people taken to different city hospitals were said to be in a critical condition.

According to police, the first blast took place outside a bank and the other near a police station. People ran for their lives as the two blasts took place within a few seconds at about 8.45pm.

SSP (operations) Chaudhry Shafique Ahmed told Dawn that the first blast had been carried out by a suicide bomber.

The Iqbal Town SP said police had recovered some body parts, including the head and legs of the suspected bomber. He said police had also seized a damaged motorcycle allegedly used for planting a time device.

However, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and senior officials insisted that the blasts could have been triggered remotely.

The commissioner blamed India for the blasts. But the law minister said that militants from Waziristan were involved.

A number of shops in the market were destroyed and windowpanes of nearby buildings and houses shattered. Dozens of cars and motorcycles were damaged.

Most people falling prey to the bloody attacks were either shopping or dining out at the time of the incident.

The blasts were heard in a radius of a few kilometres. Panic gripped the area and all major markets in the city were closed. Traders announced closure of the mar ket on Tuesday in protest against the incident.

People accused police of not taking effective precautionary measures despite threats that terrorists could target markets in the city.

“I was passing through the market when the first blast took place outside the MCB Bank, where people were enjoying their food,” said Mohammad Qaiser, of Sabzazar.

“Soon after the blast I found at least 10 people lying on the ground with blood and limbs strewn all around,” he added.

Imran Hussian, a shopkeeper, said, “I was outside the shop when a huge blast shook the entire market. A few seconds later, another explosion was heard on the outskirts of the market.” He said he and other people ran for their lives. “When we returned after some time, we saw the injured screaming and crying for pain. A big fire erupted in the market,” he said.

Meanwhile, police set up pickets across the city and rounded up several suspects for investigation. QUETTA, Dec 7: Ten people, including a child, were injured when a bomb exploded near the Government Officers’ Residential (GOR) colony on Monday.

An explosive device placed in a car parked outside the colony went off in the afternoon. Eight of the injured were identified as Ghani, Shaukat, Irfan, Sadiqullah, Waheed, Ismail, Najib and Ibrahim. Two others were discharged from the civil hospital after first aid. Their names could not be ascertained.

The blast damaged two vehicles.