This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7187942.stm
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Karachi 'bomb blast kills eight' | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
At least eight people have been killed in a bomb explosion in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, doctors say. | |
Police said 12 people were injured in the blast in the city's Quaidabad area. Some reports say many more were hurt. | |
Sindh province police chief Azher Farooqi said explosives had been hidden under a fruit cart. | Sindh province police chief Azher Farooqi said explosives had been hidden under a fruit cart. |
It is not clear who carried out the attack. Pakistan has been swept by a wave of suicide bombings by Islamic militants in recent months. | It is not clear who carried out the attack. Pakistan has been swept by a wave of suicide bombings by Islamic militants in recent months. |
'Screaming' | |
Dr Seemi Jamali told the BBC that the city's Jinnah hospital had so far received seven bodies from the site of the blast, including two children. | |
There were bodies lying all around and I could hear people screaming in the darkness Eyewitness Rehman Malik | |
Survivors of the blast spoke of carnage - such accounts have become almost commonplace in Pakistan over the past year. | |
"I was leaving the factory when I heard a huge explosion and I saw several people lying in pools of blood on the road," one eyewitness, Rehman Malik, told the AFP news agency. | |
"As soon as the bomb went off the electricity pylon caught fire and the lights went out. | |
"There were bodies lying all around and I could hear people screaming in the darkness." | |
Another eyewitness, Shaukat Khan, told the BBC the explosives had been planted either in a fruit cart or on a motorbike parked near a textile factory. | |
He said the blast occurred at rush hour, throwing the area into chaos. Afterwards, angry people blocked the road and pelted stones at vehicles, he said. | |
Police and eyewitnesses said there had been shooting following the blast. Gunfire and disturbances were also reported from another area of the city, Sohrab Goth. | |
Soon after the blast, the city suffered huge traffic jams all over the south-eastern districts of Landhi and Korangi. Traffic was also blocked on the city's main artery, Shahrah-e-Faisal. | |
Bombings | |
Monday's blast was the first deadly bombing in Karachi since 19 October when a suicide bomber killed at least 140 people at a homecoming rally for opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. | Monday's blast was the first deadly bombing in Karachi since 19 October when a suicide bomber killed at least 140 people at a homecoming rally for opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. |
The blasts in October were among Pakistan's bloodiest | |
She was killed just over two months later in a suicide gun and bomb attack in Rawalpindi. | She was killed just over two months later in a suicide gun and bomb attack in Rawalpindi. |
Last week more than 20 people died in a suicide bombing in Lahore. | |
Security has been tightened across Pakistan for the Muslim holy month of Muharram which began last Friday. | Security has been tightened across Pakistan for the Muslim holy month of Muharram which began last Friday. |
Muharram often sees violence between Shias and Sunnis. | Muharram often sees violence between Shias and Sunnis. |
President Musharraf was also in Karachi on Monday, although officials pointed out he was far from the explosion. |
Previous version
1
Next version