At least two people, including a railway police officer, were killed and 27 injured when a powerful blast ripped through the Lahore railway station Tuesday, media reports said.
The blast occurred on the station's platform No.2 where people had queued up in large numbers to buy tickets, Geo News reported, adding that it left a 5-6 foot crater on the platform. Describing the incident as "a terrorist act" in which the bomb was planted in a bag and left at the ticket counter, a police officer estimated about six to eight kilogrammes of explosives were used in the explosion.
"We're trying to investigate how the bag managed to get through despite so many scanners," said Aslam Tarin. "A porter and a police officer were killed in the blast. Five to six kg of explosive material was used for the blast," a police officer told Dawn. TV images showed broken glass of windows and doors of offices littered across the platform. A false ceiling of an office also collapsed.
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Federal Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour set up a committee headed by Inspector General Railways to investigate the incident. Police cordoned off the blast site and emergency services personnel reached the spot. The injured were taken to the city's Mayo and Ganga Ram Hospitals. Witnesses told Xinhua the blast that took place around 6.40 p.m. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.
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