Islamabad, October 7
At least 40 persons were killed and over 100 wounded early today when a car bomb ripped through a gathering of Sunni Muslims in Pakistan’s southern Multan city to mark the first death anniversary of a religious leader.The police said a remote control device probably detonated the car bomb that was parked outside the venue of the commemorative meeting that had started late Wednesday night and continued through early this morning.
Local police chief Talat Mehmood Tariq told reporters that the explosive-ladden car was blown up at a time when the congregation of nearly 3,000 persons was dispersing in the morning.
He said, quoting officials of the bomb disposal squad, that the device weighed 6-7 kg.
The situation remained tense in the city. However, no untoward incident was reported even at the time of the last rites of the 33 victims of the blast, locals said.
“Thousands of persons including activists of Millat-e-Islamia offered the funeral prayers after relatives and friends of 33 blast victims identified the bodies,’’ eyewitnesses said.
After the funeral, they claimed the bodies and took them to their native towns for burial. —
UNI
