Blast in Pakistan: 40 Killed, Over 100 Injured in Multan
Pakistan Times Special Report

MULTAN: A car bomb exploded at a gathering of people in the central Pakistan city of Multan early Thursday, killing at least 40 people and injuring dozens, police said.

The attack came as hundreds of people had gathered in a residential area in the city to mark the anniversary of the death of Maulana Azam Tariq, the leader of outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba group who was killed last year.

Police Confirms Death Toll

Earlier, City police chief Sikandar Hayyat said that at least 34 people were killed, and that the blast was caused by a car bomb.

Dozens of injured were taken to a government hospital, an officer in the police control room in Multan said.

Police chief, Talat Mahmood said it appears the car bomb was detonated by a remote control.

The blast rocked the area and caused a nearby transformer to blow up, making people there initially think two bombs had gone off, Mahmood said.

He said five police were among the wounded, and that the death toll is expected to rise.

Hospitals have been put in on alert to treat the wounded.

Details

The attack occurred when the night-long public meeting called to galvanise support for the outlawed group Millat-e-Islami, was about to end.

As a large number of people started to walk towards the car park, one of the vehicles exploded.

The first blast came from a car bomb, and another minutes later from a device on a motorcycle. Several people died and dozens were injured on the spot, but more were injured in a resulting stampede.

"There is chaos and panic in central Multan and we are trying to control the situation," police officer Muhammad Yaseen told 'Pakistan Times'.

Witnesses reported people being torn to pieces and screaming for help. Doctors at the city's main hospital said there were more injured in the casualty ward than they could handle.

Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said; 'It is an act of brutal terrorism aimed at creating instability in the country.'

Millat-e-Islami, formerly known as Sipah-e-Sahaba, was banned by the government last year along with a number of other groups because of their alleged involvement in sectarian violence. .

The Event

Hundreds of people had gathered to mark the anniversary of the killing of the assassinated leader Azim Tariq, near the capital city of Islamabad last year.

"Thirty-four people have been killed and almost the same number have been wounded," an ambulance service official told 'Pakistan Times' by phone.

The blast is thought to have occurred at about 4.40am [23;40 GMT Wednesday].

Two Bombs Explode

A car bomb exploded near the site in a residential neighborhood, and within minutes a second bomb attached to a motorcycle went off, deputy city police chief Arshad Mohammed said.

City police chief Skindar Hayyat said that at least 34 people were killed, and that the blast was caused by a car bomb.

34 Dead Bodies

Dr. Mohammed Tayyab at the Nishtar government hospital in the city said they had received 34 dead bodies.

He said at least 70 people were treated for injuries at the hospital and several injured were sent elsewhere.

Recap

Thursday's blasts came six days after a suicide attacker detonated a bomb inside a crowded mosque in the eastern city of Sialkot Friday prayers, killing 31 people and injuring more than 50.

Tariq's group has been accused of killing hundreds of people in recent years.

Tariq, a lawmaker and the one-time leader of an outlawed group, was on his way to a parliamentary session when gunmen ambushed his car, killing him along with three bodyguards and a driver on October-6 last year.

Of the Responsibility

There has been no claim of responsibility for Thursday's attack in Multan.

Multan is an industrial center with about 750,000 residents in central Pakistan, about 300 miles (483 km) south of Islamabad.

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