Multan, Dec 8 (IANS) At least 12 people, including three children, were killed in Multan city Tuesday when a suicide bomber blew up a mini truck stuffed with explosives near a building housing Pakistan’s spy agency.
The blast occurred at an army checkpoint next to the local headquarters of the all powerful Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency in Qasim Bella area, extensively damaging the building.
Saud Aziz, the city’s police chief, called it a suicide bombing. News reports said the bomber, apparently an Islamist, detonated his mini truck, killing four soldiers instantly.
Over 30 people were injured in the deafening explosion, which came soon after a minor blast.
Several houses in a residential compound for military personnel were damaged amid fears that many people could be trapped under the debris.
An eyewitness told Geo News that he was passing through the area when he heard a low-intensity blast followed by a massive explosion.
Another witness said that gunshots were fired before the blasts.
Kaleem Ullah of the Rescue 1122 emergency service said 12 bodies and 32 injured had been moved to the hospital.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a TV channel: ‘There is a determined group causing all this destruction throughout the country.’
The bombing was the fourth in the past 48 hours in Pakistan.
Two blasts tore through a bustling market in Lahore Monday evening killing 49 people. A suicide attacker also detonated his explosives outside a court building in Peshawar, leaving 10 dead.
On Tuesday, rockets and hand grenade were recovered from the blast site at Multan.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Arif Ikaram said the first of the two blasts occurred at 12.10 p.m.
There appeared to be some confusion as to what really happened. According to soee media reports, gunmen stormed a building and opened fire on police officials. Later, they blew up the truck bomb.
Pakistan has witnessed a string of terror attacks since early October that have claimed over 250 lives.
Peshawar witnessed this year’s worst terror attack Oct 28 when a massive explosion in a crowded market killed 117 people and injured over 200.
Islamist militants have gone on the offensive in Pakistan to avenge a military offensive aimed at crushing the Pakistani Taliban, which enjoys close ties with the insurgents in Afghanistan.
