Bomb blast in Pak. train

ISLAMABAD, JULY 16. At least 10 passengers, including three women and four children, were killed and 30 injured when a bomb exploded in a train near the Pakistani city of Hyderabad in southern Sindh province this morning, witnesses said.

The device, placed in the last compartment of the Karachi-bound Mehran Express, went off with a big bang near Hyderabad railway station, 160 km north of Karachi.

Four persons were killed on the spot while six others died in a local hospital. The injured, some of them in serious condition, were rushed to hospitals. Officials fear the toll may rise because of the critical condition of several passengers. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast. The army has cordoned off the area and launched rescue operations in which they are being assisted by locals. Witnesses said the station was packed with commuters when the blast ripped through the carriage.

``There were a few hundred people on station at the time. I heard a huge explosion and started running and I don't know what happened after that,'' said witness Mohammad Saleem. The police said it was an ``act of terrorism'' but no one had claimed responsibility.

``It is an act of terrorism but it is premature to fix responsibility to anyone at this stage,'' said a senior police officer. ``We have started investigations and have cordoned off the city so that the terrorist or terrorists cannot get away.'' - PTI.

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Section  : International
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