30 dead in blasts near Bhutto in Karachi

(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-10-19 07:15

KARACHI - Two explosions went off Thursday night near a truck carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on her celebratory return to Pakistan after eight years in exile, killing at least 30 people and wounding more than 100, an official said. Party workers and police said Bhutto was unhurt.

A scene of devastation after an explosion at a procession of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Karachi, Pakistan on Thursday, Oct 18, 2007. [Agencies]

An Associated Press photographer at the scene said he saw between 50 and 60 dead or badly wounded people. He said some of the bodies were ripped apart.

An initial small explosion was followed by a huge blast just feet from the front of the truck carrying Bhutto during a procession through Karachi that had drawn tens of thousands of her supporters. The blast shattered windows in her vehicle and set a police escort vehicle on fire.

Those traveling atop the truck with Bhutto climbed down, with one man jumping off while others used a ladder. Bhutto's lawyer, Sen. Babar Awan, said that the former premier was safe.

Police Chief Azhar Farooqi told Dawn News that Bhutto was rushed from the area under contingency plans.

"She was evacuated very safely and is now in Bilawal House," Farooqi said, referring to Bhutto's residence in Karachi.

Footage from the scene of the blasts showed bodies on the ground, lying motionless, plus a dozen or more injured who were moving. At least one vehicle was burning.

Several motorcycles also lay on their sides. Flames burned in the center of the street after the explosions.

Scores of people, mostly men wearing white robes, fled down the street after the blast.

More than 150,000 jubilant supporters had surrounded the convoy carrying Bhutto amid massive security in Karachi.

Authorities had urged her to travel in Karachi by helicopter to reduce the risk of attack. But Bhutto, hated by radical Islamists because she supports the US-led war on terrorism, brushed off the concerns.

"I am not scared. I am thinking of my mission," she had told reporters on the plane. "This is a movement for democracy because we are under threat from extremists and militants."

1 2