'A woman dropped something at my feet'

Eye witnesses injured in the Lahore blasts recount what they saw moments before the attacks.

LAHORE: Witness accounts of the Yaum-i-Shahadat Hazrat Ali (RA) blasts paint a grim picture as the death toll rises to 37.

A young man, who was severely injured in the attack told Express 24/7 of a woman with short hair who was distributing something to people. He said the woman dropped something at his feet and immediately ran off. Finding her action suspicious, the man tried to get his brother and cousin to move away from the area, at which point the blast occurred. The eyewitness was hit in the legs by pellets and fell to the ground where he lay helpless till an old man moved him to an ambulance. Hardly able to speak, the young man said he still has no idea where his brother was and what had happened to him.

Another man who was severely injured from the neck below narrated his ordeal. ‘I was returning after prayers when I saw the chaos, two blasts had already occurred then. As I was standing there, something exploded at my feet and I lost consciousness after that.’

Funeral prayers held

The funeral prayers of 17 victims were offered across Lahore.

A mass funeral of eight was held at Nasir Bagh amid high security and protests, while nine other funerals were held separately.

The funeral prayer of two boys was held at Eid Gah while the funeral of another victim was offered at Imam Bargah Mochi Gate.

LeJ claims responsibility

The outlawed militant group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami, claimed responsibility for the attacks targeting a procession marking the martyrdom anniversary of the fourth caliph, Hazrat Ali (RA) on Wednesday.

It was the first major attack in Pakistan since the devastating floods engulfed a fifth of the country over the past month.

The synchronised blasts, taking place within 30 minutes of each other, ripped through the procession at Iftar time, and led to an outpouring of fury as mourners tried to torch the nearby Lower Mall police station.