PARACHINAR: The death toll from Friday night's twin suicide blasts, which struck a busy market in Parachinar, which sits in the Kurram tribal area bordering Afghanistan, has jumped to 50, the political officials said.
Riaz Mehsud, the political agent in Kurram agency, confirmed the latest death toll.
The two bombs, which were detonated in quick succession, tore through crowds of shoppers grabbing last-minute items to break their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
"There were two blasts in the main bazaar of Parachinar. These were carried out by two suicide bombers who walked into the crowded market," Mehsud said.
Mehsud added the market was packed with people and that handcarts were sent flying after the blasts, which also damaged up to 15 shops and two cars.
"We found many body parts, including parts of the suicide bombers. There was blood and human flesh at the blasts site," he said.
The bombers struck in a largely Shia Muslim area but officials said they could not immediately identify the victims.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but attacks waged by Sunni Muslim extremists against Pakistan's Shia community are on the rise.
"Many bodies can't be identified because they have been mutilated very badly," Salahuddin, a health technician at the hospital, said.
He said lists of the dead and injured were still being drafted, adding "I fear that the number of the dead and wounded people from this attack may rise."
According to hospital sources, the dead bodies quickly overwhelmed Parachinar's emergency room, as more than 100 people wounded in the blasts sought medical attention.
"We have no place to keep the wounded," a doctor said. "Many of them are lying on the hospital floor and on the lawn."
The two bombs ripped through the main bazaar in Parachinar when people were doing their evening shopping before the iftar meal that breaks the day of fasting during Ramadan, police spokesman Fazal Naeem Khan said.
One bomb was believed to have been planted on a motorcycle and explosives experts were examining the site Friday night, he said.
The second bomb detonated about four minutes after the first, about 400 yards (365 meters) away from the initial blast, government official Javed Ali said.
One man, Said Hussain, who was in the area where the second blast struck, reported seeing a teenage boy shout "God is great!" just moments before the explosion.
"Many people died on the spot and many were wounded," he said. "We rushed many of the wounded to the hospital in private cars."
The Kurram tribal region, like much of northwest Pakistan, has been roiled by violence for years. Taliban militants trying to overthrow the Pakistani government have carried out a vicious campaign of suicide bombings and shootings against Pakistan security forces and other targets.
Parachinar is also home to a large number of Shia Muslims, which are a minority sect in Pakistan. Many Sunni militants do not view Shia as true Muslims, sparking repeated fatal attacks.
Friday's attacks come two days after suicide gunmen and car bombers attacked a government complex housing offices of Pakistan's top intelligence agency in the southern town of Sukkur.
The ensuing shootout late on Wednesday killed nine people, including five attackers and four police and intelligence officials.
Pakistan is battling a Taliban-led domestic insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians and security personnel since 2007.
Washington considers the country's tribal areas a major hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.
Tackling homegrown militancy is one of the major tasks for the government -- more than 6,000 people have died in attacks in Pakistan in the past six years according to a tally. (AP/AFP)
No comments:
Post a Comment