22 killed in Pakistan market blast

At least 22 people were killed and 57 wounded yesterday when a car bomb tore through a market in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistan's tribal belt, officials said, in an attack claimed by the Taliban, reports AFP.
Survivors described hiding inside shops after hearing a "huge bang" -- then stumbling through dust-choked air filled with the sound of screams, tripping over bodies as they searched for the wounded in the busy market in Parachinar, capital of Kurram tribal district. The attack comes after a wave of militant violence killed 130 people across Pakistan in February, unnerving citizens who had been emboldened by improving security and prompting a military crackdown.
"People were screaming for help... When I looked back everything was filled with dust," shopkeeper Sardar Hussain said.
He saw his father "drenched in blood and dust", he told AFP, while the two clients in their store were lying dead on the floor.
"We closed doors of the shop as we thought there might be a second blast, but we heard gunshots for a while and people were shouting, so we got out," Muhammad Ali, a resident at another shop, told AFP.
They emerged to a scene of desperation, Ali said, describing bystanders carrying the wounded to hospital in any vehicle they could find as security forces arrived.

 

22 killed in Pakistan market blast

At least 22 people were killed and 57 wounded yesterday when a car bomb tore through a market in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistans tribal belt, officials said, in an attack claimed by the Taliban, reports AFP. Survivors described hiding inside shops after hearing a huge bang -- then stumbling through dust-choked air filled with the sound of screams, tripping over bodies as they searched for the wounded in the busy market in Parachinar, capital of Kurram tribal district. The attack comes after a wave of militant violence killed 130 people across Pakistan in February, unnerving citizens who had been emboldened by improving security and prompting a military crackdown. People were screaming for help... When I looked back everything was filled with dust, shopkeeper Sardar Hussain said. He saw his father drenched in blood and dust, he told AFP, while the two clients in their store were lying dead on the floor. We closed doors of the shop as we thought there might be a second blast, but we heard gunshots for a while and people were shouting, so we got out, Muhammad Ali, a resident at another shop, told AFP. They emerged to a scene of desperation, Ali said, describing bystanders carrying the wounded to hospital in any vehicle they could find as security forces arrived.