A powerful bomb went off at the food street in the busy Old Anarkali area of Lahore on Saturday night, killing at least three people and injuring 50 others.
According to police officials, the explosion took place at the ground floor of a three-storied restaurant near Hussain Juice Corner.
“The explosives were detonated using a timer,” a police official told Pakistan Today, adding that they believed that one kilogramme of explosives along with ball bearings and other objects were used in the device which was packed in a black shopping bag.
Among the deceased were six-year-old Sadia Umar and 20-year-old Fahad Tasleem and a 37-year-old unidentified man. Nearby buildings and parked vehicles were damaged by the explosion, which also left a three-foot deep and four-foot wide crater.
At least 10 of those injured have been described by doctors to be in critical condition. They also confirmed recovering ball bearings from the victims’ bodies.
An eye witness, Maqbool Ahmed told Pakistan Today that he was passing through the area with his wife when a “powerful blast took place” at a juice shop.
Ahmed said that he saw at least three bodies and that up to 15 people had been injured, and after the explosion people fled towards the market.
“I still cannot hear anything in my right ear. A lot of glass is littering the area.”
Muhammad Aslam, a milkman, said, “Five of my workers were injured in the bombing. Their names are Yousuf, Faraz, Ali, Razaq and Usman.”
Lahore police chief Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmed said that anti-state elements were behind the bombing, adding that stern action would be taken in this regard. Meanwhile, a case has been registered in the Old Anarkali Police Station against unidentified terrorists.
Old Anarkali and the food street is a popular public spot and is frequented by people, especially on the weekends.
BOMB HOAX AT SAMANABAD:
As police and rescue personnel were busy sifting through the rubble at Old Anarkali, an unidentified man called the Police 15 helpline and told them that a bomb had been placed near a burger shop at Samanabad Morr.
Police teams were immediately sent to the area and a search operation was carried out in the vicinity. However, the phone call turned out to be a hoax.