At least three killed in bomb blast at Lahore railway station
Three people were killed and around 40 injured in a powerful bomb blast Tuesday at a crowded railway platform shortly after the Awami Express travelling from Karachi to Peshawar arrived at the Lahore railway station.
Eyewitness Asif Butt told the media that the blast occurred at 6.45 pm as a porter was removing some luggage from the train.
"The explosive device was planted in a bag. The blast occurred when a porter lifted the bag," Senior Superintendent Shahzad Sultan of the Railway Police said.
A railway police constable and a porter were among those killed.
The identity of the third person killed by the blast could not immediately be ascertained, officials said.
Over 40 injured people were taken to nearby hospitals, a spokesman for the state-run Rescue 1122 service said.
Five of the injured were in a critical condition, officials at Mayo Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, which blew out the large windows of the business lounge where people were waiting for a private luxury train. Several were hit by shards of glass.
Lahore police chief Aslam Tareen told reporters at the site of the blast: "It was an act of terrorism in a public place. We have to find out how they (terrorists) entered the railway station with the explosive device despite checks".
Tareen said the bomb disposal squad has estimated that up to six to eight kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.
The police said ball bearings have been recovered from the site of the blast, which suggests it could have been a timed device.
People were evacuated after security forces cordoned off the railway station and adjacent areas.
All train services in Lahore were suspended following the attack and security forces searched all trains at the station, officials said.
Source:The Asia News.Net
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