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Deadly blasts near Bhutto convoy | Deadly blasts near Bhutto convoy |
(20 minutes later) | |
At least 30 people are reported killed and 60 wounded after two bombs hit crowds greeting returning Pakistani ex-PM Benazir Bhutto. | |
Ms Bhutto was being driven in a convoy through crowded streets from Karachi airport to a rally to mark her homecoming after eight years in exile. | |
Ms Bhutto was not thought to be among the casualties. Two cars are on fire. | |
Hundreds of thousands of people had turned out to greet the former PM, amid a huge security presence. | Hundreds of thousands of people had turned out to greet the former PM, amid a huge security presence. |
Several Islamist groups including pro-Taleban militants have made threats against Ms Bhutto. | |
The motorcade is now said to be at a standstill, and police have cordoned off the scene of the blasts. | The motorcade is now said to be at a standstill, and police have cordoned off the scene of the blasts. |
The area around a stage where she was due to give a speech to supporters has been evacuated. | The area around a stage where she was due to give a speech to supporters has been evacuated. |
Police say the bombings may have been suicide attacks. | Police say the bombings may have been suicide attacks. |
Rushed away | |
The first explosion was said to be relatively small but was followed by a much larger blast close to the front of Ms Bhutto's truck. | |
KEY DATES 06 Oct: Presidential polls held 17 Oct: Supreme Court resumes hearing challenges to Musharraf candidacy 18 Oct: Benazir Bhutto's homecoming 15 Nov: Parliamentary term ends and general election must be held by mid-January Flying into uncertainty On board Bhutto's flight | |
It is not clear whether the bomber was in a car or on foot, although police said an unregistered small white car pulled up near a police escort immediately before the explosions. | |
Witnesses said body parts were strewn across Ms Bhutto's truck. The death toll is expected to rise. | |
Correspondents say she may have been shielded from the blast by an overhang because she was sitting on top of the truck at the time. | |
The former prime minister was immediately rushed from the scene to her Karachi residency, according to contingency plans. | |
Ms Bhutto flew in from Dubai earlier on Thursday, accompanied on the flight by about 100 members of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP). | |
At least 200,000 people turned out to greet her in what correspondents described as a carnival atmosphere, but the crowds slowed the progress of her convoy. | |
Ms Bhutto had been planning to make a speech at the tomb of Pakistan's founding father, Mohammed Ali Jinnah. | |
The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Karachi says that despite being away for eight years, Ms Bhutto is still enormously popular as a scion of Pakistan's pre-eminent political dynasty. | |
Ms Bhutto left the country soon after Gen Musharraf seized power in a coup, but returned under a power-sharing deal with the president which could see her becoming prime minister again. | |
Are you in the area? Have you been affected? You can send us your experiences using the form below: | Are you in the area? Have you been affected? You can send us your experiences using the form below: |