Bomb Kills 44 in Pakistan on Easter Sunday

By JE Reich  |  March 27, 2016 | 5:45pm
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A bomb that went off on Easter Sunday in Lahore, Pakistan, has left 44 people dead and 91 wounded, according to officials in the city.

First reported by the Associated Press, the explosion took place in Pakistan’s second-largest metropolis at Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park on March 27, 2016. Haider Ashraf, a local police chief, noted that the bomb, which appears to be the work of a suicide bomber, detonated near a cluster of children’s rides.

At the time of the incident, the park-goers mostly consisted of families celebrating Easter; most of the revelers were leaving the park when the explosion occurred.

“We are in a warlike situation and there is always a general threat but no specific threat alert was received for this place,” Ashraf told AP.

One man on the scene recounted the events to GEO TV, a Pakistani news station, stating that “he was heading toward a ride with his wife and two children when he heard a huge bang and all four of them were thrown to the floor.”

Local stations also captured graphic footage of the aftermath, with casualties still on the ground amid the rubble, as well as men, women, and children running in shock as ambulances arrived on the scene.

[Trigger warning: the footage is very, very, graphic, so I am linking it here rather than posting.]

Though Ashraf stated that the incident might be the work of a suicide bomber, investigations are still ongoing, and nothing has been confirmed. As of now, no group has come forward to claim the attack.

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Image via AP.

 
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