Two people were killed and 58 others injured when a bomb exploded at the Lahore Railway Station on Tuesday, police officials and rescue workers said.
However, other reports claimed that the explosion resulted in injuries to 70 people, including men and women.
The banned Lashkar-e-Balochistan claimed responsibility for the attack and its spokesman Long Khan Baloch said the attack was in retaliation to dead bodies being dumped across Balochistan, targeted killing of Baloch elders and torching of Baloch women in Dera Bugti, Online reported.
The organization warned that if the trend of targeting Baloch citizens continued, their next target would be Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Those killed in the railway station blast were identified as Railways Police constable Idrees and a porter named Muhammad Boota.
The explosion occurred at around 6:39pm when Boota and other porters were hauling the luggage of a passenger. As he approached the office of Business Train located at platform number 2, the explosives packed in a bag exploded, killing Boota instantly. Constable Idrees, who was standing close by, also sustained multiple injuries and was killed on the spot. Zafar, the owner of a canteen who received minor injuries, told Pakistan Today that the explosion took place 10 minutes after the arrival of Awami Express from Karachi.
“There were hues and cries and a state of chaos after the blast. No one could really tell what had happened. We just saw a flash of light and heard a huge explosion that rocked the railway station,” Zafar said.
A railways staffer immediately informed police officials and rescue workers after which a heavy contingent of Railways Police, Lahore Police, Bomb Disposal Squad, rescue workers, Edhi Foundation and Civil Defence reached the crime scene.
According to Rescue 1122, 56 injured patients, include 13 women and 43 men, were provided medical aid at Mayo Hospital, seven were given first aid at Ganga Ram Hospital while two were shifted to Services Hospital.
Rescue 1122 director general said only five patients at Mayo Hospital were critical.
Meanwhile, the Lahore Police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) collected circumstantial evidence, including pieces of explosives, ball bearings and samples of blood from the crime scene.
CTD SSP Azmat Saeed Gondal said around 5kgs of explosives were used in the blast. “The bomb was planted in a bag,” Azmat said, adding that porter Muhammad Boota was probably shifting the luggage to some place on directions of an unidentified passenger.
He said they would record the statement of injured porters who were with Boota at the time in order to identify the passenger.
“We are not sure if the terrorist wanted to carry out the activity at the Railway Station or somewhere else, because the explosion took place when the explosive material got pressed,” a BDS expert said on condition of anonymity.
He said they have not found evidence of any timed device or remote control from the crime scene.
The Lahore Police said the incident was a security lapse.
Capital City Police Officer Aslam Tareen said none of around 17 CCTV cameras installed at the Railway Station were functional, adding that the scanners installed at the station were also out of order.
However, Railways Police said they had put in place maximum security measures and had forwarded several letters to authorities in order to get security cameras and scanners installed at the station repaired, but their requests had fallen on deaf ears.
Railways Police Inspector General Syed Ibne Hussain said they had started investigation and would leave no stone unturned to secure the Lahore Railway Station and get to the culprits. A case was registered by Railways Police under Sections 302, 7ATA, ¾ Explosive Act and 127.
The investigation is being carried out under the supervision of Railways DIG Muneer Ahmed Chishti and SSP Dr Shehzad Aslam.
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