Middle East News

Suicide blast kills dozens in Pakistan park

Local officials say 65 people were killed, and over 200 were injured after a reported suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan.

A reported suicide bombing killed dozens in Lahore, Pakistan on Sunday evening.

AFP reports that local officials say 72 people were killed, and over 200 injured. The New York Times quoted local rescue workers and officials saying 69 people had died, and over 300 were wounded.

The explosion happened near children’s swings in Gulshan-e-Iqbal park where Christian families were celebrating Easter. Many families were leaving when the reported bomb went off, according to local police chief Haider Ashraf.

Police superintendent Mustansar Feroz said most of the dead were women and children.

At Jinnah Hospital, a medical superintendent who gave his name only as Dr. Ashraf told AFP most of the 200 injured are in critical condition.

According to Reuters, the Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for the attack. It says that Christians were targeted specifically.

These claims have not been confirmed.

Image: Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images

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