Moosething
27-03-2016, 08:49 PM
At least 65 people have been killed and hundreds wounded after a bomb ripped through a children’s play area in Pakistan where Christian families were celebrating Easter.
The suspected suicide bombing took place on Sunday evening at a public park in the city of Lahore, just yards away from a set of swings.
Medical workers said the blast mainly killed women and children, while many of the wounded were in a critical condition.
The splinter group Jamaatul Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had deliberately targeted Christians on Easter Sunday.
“We claim responsibility for the attack on Christians as they were celebrating Easter,” a spokesperson for the terrorist group said.
“It was part of our annual martyrdom attacks we have started this year,” he said and warned that more attacks would follow.
“We had been waiting for this occasion... we want to convey... to the prime minister that we we have arrived in Punjab and we will reach you."
Haider Ashraf, a senior police official, said ball bearings were found on the ground after the attack, which he believed was a suicide bombing, and that an investigation was ongoing.
The area was crowded with Christians celebrating the Easter holidays, he added, and many families were heading home when the blast struck.
“We are in a warlike situation," he said, "there is always a general [terrorism] threat in Pakistan but no specific threat alert was received for this place."
Footage from local TV stations showed chaotic scenes as people fled the area carrying their children or cradling the wounded.
Al-Khidma, a Lahore rescue worker, told the Telegraph: “Our ambulances lifted dozens of injured people to nearby hospitals. The majority are women and children.
Another medical worker said at least three hundred people had been injured and that he feared the death toll would rise.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/12205457/Pakistan-terror-attack-65-dead-after-suicide-bomber-strikes-childrens-play-area-in-Lahore.html
Just horrific :(
The suspected suicide bombing took place on Sunday evening at a public park in the city of Lahore, just yards away from a set of swings.
Medical workers said the blast mainly killed women and children, while many of the wounded were in a critical condition.
The splinter group Jamaatul Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had deliberately targeted Christians on Easter Sunday.
“We claim responsibility for the attack on Christians as they were celebrating Easter,” a spokesperson for the terrorist group said.
“It was part of our annual martyrdom attacks we have started this year,” he said and warned that more attacks would follow.
“We had been waiting for this occasion... we want to convey... to the prime minister that we we have arrived in Punjab and we will reach you."
Haider Ashraf, a senior police official, said ball bearings were found on the ground after the attack, which he believed was a suicide bombing, and that an investigation was ongoing.
The area was crowded with Christians celebrating the Easter holidays, he added, and many families were heading home when the blast struck.
“We are in a warlike situation," he said, "there is always a general [terrorism] threat in Pakistan but no specific threat alert was received for this place."
Footage from local TV stations showed chaotic scenes as people fled the area carrying their children or cradling the wounded.
Al-Khidma, a Lahore rescue worker, told the Telegraph: “Our ambulances lifted dozens of injured people to nearby hospitals. The majority are women and children.
Another medical worker said at least three hundred people had been injured and that he feared the death toll would rise.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/12205457/Pakistan-terror-attack-65-dead-after-suicide-bomber-strikes-childrens-play-area-in-Lahore.html
Just horrific :(