Multiple blasts in Parachinar kill 50, injure 122
Two bombs planted in motorbikes were reportedly detonated in Shingak Bazaar and in the Zahran stands.
People gather around one of the blast sites in Parachinar on Friday. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PARACHINAR:
At least 50 people were killed and 122 injured in two bomb explosions in the central market in the Shia dominated town of Parachinar, Kurram Agency, Express News reported.
Two bombs planted in motorbikes were reportedly detonated in the Shingak Bazaar and one near Zahran vehicle stand, killing at least eight people on the spot and injured more than 122.
The first explosion took place near a mosque in main market of Parachinar. Express News correspondent Ehtisham Khan said some eye witnesses suggested that the first blast was a suicide blast.
Residents from the nearby crowded markets rushed to shift the injured to the Parachinar headquarters hospital, where two of the injured succumbed to injuries. An emergency was declared in hospital.
"We can confirm the death of 41 people in the twin blasts. More than 150 others have been injured in the attack," doctor Sabir Hussein, head of the hospital, told AFP.
Parachinar Political Agent Riaz Mehsud said that most of the injured have been moved to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Kohat and some will also be shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
"We have sent 20 critically wounded people to major hospitals in Peshawar and Kohat to save their lives," Hussein added.
Some sources said that the bombs used a timed device to detonate, while others suggested they were suicide bombs.
As many as 12 cars and several shops were also destroyed in the blasts.
Earlier on Friday, two people were killed when a road-side planted bomb hit a passenger vehicle in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region of Kurram Agency on Friday afternoon.
A total of three blasts in total occurred in Parachinar on Friday, killing at least 41 and injuring at least 122.
Parachinar has a significant Shia population that has previously been attacked by hardline Sunni militant groups.
Following the blasts, the religious group Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen has called for three days of mourning.
At least 50 people were killed and 122 injured in two bomb explosions in the central market in the Shia dominated town of Parachinar, Kurram Agency, Express News reported.
Two bombs planted in motorbikes were reportedly detonated in the Shingak Bazaar and one near Zahran vehicle stand, killing at least eight people on the spot and injured more than 122.
The first explosion took place near a mosque in main market of Parachinar. Express News correspondent Ehtisham Khan said some eye witnesses suggested that the first blast was a suicide blast.
Residents from the nearby crowded markets rushed to shift the injured to the Parachinar headquarters hospital, where two of the injured succumbed to injuries. An emergency was declared in hospital.
"We can confirm the death of 41 people in the twin blasts. More than 150 others have been injured in the attack," doctor Sabir Hussein, head of the hospital, told AFP.
Parachinar Political Agent Riaz Mehsud said that most of the injured have been moved to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Kohat and some will also be shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
"We have sent 20 critically wounded people to major hospitals in Peshawar and Kohat to save their lives," Hussein added.
Some sources said that the bombs used a timed device to detonate, while others suggested they were suicide bombs.
As many as 12 cars and several shops were also destroyed in the blasts.
Earlier on Friday, two people were killed when a road-side planted bomb hit a passenger vehicle in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region of Kurram Agency on Friday afternoon.
A total of three blasts in total occurred in Parachinar on Friday, killing at least 41 and injuring at least 122.
Parachinar has a significant Shia population that has previously been attacked by hardline Sunni militant groups.
Following the blasts, the religious group Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen has called for three days of mourning.