At least 56 people have been killed and another 150 injured in a blast outside a public park in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
Police said the nature of the blast was not clear but that officers are investigating whether the attack was a suicide bomb. It is believed that the bomb detonated on Sunday evening in local time, when many Christian families were visiting the Gulshan-e-Iqbal park area to celebrate Easter. The bomb detonated as families were leaving the park and the majority of victims are believed to be women and children. It is believed to have detonated close to children’s swings.
Officials say that at least 56 people have died and a further 150 people are injured. It is reported that many of the injured have been seriously harmed in the explosion, prompting fears that the death toll could rise considerably higher.
Rescue officials said that the bodies of more than 30 deceased had been taken to hospitals around the city. All hospitals in the city have been put on emergency alert to tend to the injured.
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The bomb reportedly exploded next to children’s swings and rides as families were leaving the park this evening (AFP/ Getty)
Senior police officer Haider Ashraf says the explosion appeared to be a suicide bombing but that investigations were ongoing to establish the cause.
Eye witnesses have described the scene as chaotic and said that a stampede ensued following the blast, causing children to be separated from parents.
Javed Ali, who lives opposite the park, told local media that the force of the blast shattered the windows of his home. He said: “Everything was shaking- there were cries and dust everywhere. After ten minutes I went outside. There was human flesh on the walls of our house.”
He added: “It was overcrowded because of Easter- there were a lot of Christians there. It was so crowded I told my family not to go.”
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Eye witnesses have described chaotic scenes as a stampede reportedly followed the explosion as people tried to flee to safety, with children becoming separated from their families amid the rush (AFP/ Getty)
Pakistan has long struggled with issues of Taliban insurgency, criminal gangs and sectarian violence. Lahore is the capital of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s political heartland Punjab, which is the country’s biggest and wealthiest province.
As of yet, no groups or organisations have claimed responsibility for the blast.
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