Suicide blast in Lahore park kills 72 people

A blast killed over 72 people outside a public park in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Sunday, rescue officials said, striking at the heart of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's political heartland of Punjab.

The blast occurred in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, just outside the exit gate and a few feet away from children's swings. A large number of people including Christians were present in the Gulshan—e—Iqbal Park in Iqbal Town area here when the blast occurred yesterday, leaving many in a pool of blood.

“The toll has risen to 72. The rescue operation is continuing,” a rescue official of the Punjab Province government told Express News.

Eyewitnesses said they saw body parts strewn across the parking lot once the dust had settled.

The park was particularly busy on Sunday evening due to the Easter holiday weekend.

Pakistan police say a suicide bomber was behind the blast. Those killed included women and children. Over 300 people were also injured in the attack and many of them were in a critical condition.

Most of the injured were women and children, Jam Sajjad Hussain, a rescue service spokesman, told Reuters. He added that more than 30 injured had been taken to various hospitals in the city.