Seventy people were killed and over 100 injured when two suicide bombers blew themselves up near an ordnance factory complex within a high-security cantonment near the Pakistani capital.

One suicide bomber blew himself up near the main gate of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories at Wah Cantonment, about 50 km from Islamabad, while the second attacker detonated his explosives near another gate of the establishment.

The blasts occurred within 30 seconds of each other, witnesses said. The bombers struck shortly after 2.30 pm, when a shift at the ordnance factories had just ended. Hundreds of civilian workers of the factories were emerging from the gates at the time of the attack.

Regional Police Officer Nasir Khan Durrani said 70 people had died in the blasts. State-run PTV reported that 26 of the injured were in a serious condition. Most of the dead and injured were civilian workers of the ordnance factories. Witnesses said they had seen body parts and blood strewn all over the sites of the two blasts.

Pakistani Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar telephoned journalists to claim responsibility for the attack. He said more suicide bombers had been sent by the Taliban to attack targets in cities across the country in retaliation for operations against the militants.

The army cordoned off the area and prevented journalists from approaching the sites of the blasts. The remains of both suicide bombers were taken away by security agencies for tests. A high alert was sounded across Pakistan by the interior ministry and security was tightened at all sensitive installations.