MONITORING (SW) – At least eight people — five policemen and three civilians — were killed and 26 others injured in what officials described as a suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan on Wednesday.
King Edward Medical University Vice Chancellor Professor Khalid Gondal said the death toll has risen to nine (including a suspected attacker), while the condition of four of the injured is critical.
Some of the wounded have also been admitted to Mayo Hospital, where an emergency has been imposed. Prof Gondal added that seven bodies had been shifted to Mayo Hospital while two are at the morgue in King Edward Medical University.
Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Arif Nawaz confirmed that five Elite Force personnel were martyred in the blast. A police vehicle badly damaged in the blast near Data Darbar in Lahore. — Photo courtesy Punjab Police, Dawn news reported.
Data Darbar is one of the country's most popular Sufi shrines where Sufi saint Syed Ali bin Osman Al Hajvery is buried. Pakistanis in large numbers visit the 11th century shrine, which has long been home to colourful Sufi festivals and a prime destination for the country's myriad sects, making it a soft target for militant attacks, the report added.
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