Suicide bombing in Karachi kills 45 and injures 149 in attack that targeted Shi’ite Muslims as they left evening prayers
Worldwide, Daily news | ankakh | March 4, 2013 15:20The death toll from a suspected suicide bombing in Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi on Sunday has risen to 45, a senior city official said.
Hashim Raza also said 149 people were wounded in the attack outside a Shi’ite mosque, the latest signal that Sunni groups are escalating sectarian bombings against the minority.
The bomb exploded outside a Shi’ite mosque as people were leaving evening prayers, said police official Azhar Iqbal. Men, women and children were among those killed and wounded, he said.
Another witness, Ali Reza, said: ‘The explosion was so massive it jolted the entire area. Two flats and nearby shops caught fire after the explosion and balconies of various buildings collapsed.’
No one has claimed responsibility, but Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban have targeted Shi’ites in the past, claiming they are heretics.
Sunni militant groups have stepped up attacks in the past year against Shi’ite Muslims who make up about 20 per cent of Pakistan’s population of 180 million people.
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