A suicide bomb packed with ball-bearings tore through a
Pakistani hospital on Monday and killed at least 70 people, as witnesses
described tearful staff rushing towards the site to help the wounded.
The
bomber struck a crowd of 200 people gathered at Civil Hospital in the
Balochistan provincial capital Quetta after the fatal shooting of a
senior local lawyer earlier in the day. More than 100 were wounded,
officials said.
Video footage showed bodies strewn on
the ground, some still smoking, among pools of blood and shattered
glass as shocked survivors cried and comforted one another.
Many of the victims were clad in the black suits and ties traditionally worn by Pakistani lawyers.
An AFP journalist was about 20 metres away when the bomb went off. “There were huge black clouds and dirt,” he said.
“I
ran back to the place and saw dead bodies scattered everywhere and many
injured people crying. There were pools and pools of blood around and
pieces of human bodies and flesh.”
Police confirmed that the attack was a suicide blast.
“The
bomber had strapped some eight kg (18 pounds) of explosives packed with
ball-bearings and shrapnel on his body,” bomb disposal unit chief Abdul
Razzaq said.— AFP.
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