More than 95 dead in blast as Hillary Clinton arrives in Pakistan
(Fayaz Aziz/Reuters)
Rescue workers feared that more casualties could be trapped in burning buildings
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Zahid Hussain in Islamabad and Nico Hines
More than 95 people were killed by a car bomb in Pakistan today as Hillary Clinton arrived to offer US support for the Government’s crackdown on militants.
A series of terrorist attacks have shaken the country since Pakistani troops launched an assault against Islamist extremists in the tribal borderlands near Afghanistan.
Eyewitness and police in the north-western city of Peshawar said the bomb struck the area of the Meena market, which is generally visited by woman shoppers. Witnesses said that many of the victims were women and children.
The blast set many shops on fire and people were trapped inside a multi-storey building, which collapsed after becoming engulfed by flames. As the wounded tried to flee, they were engulfed in flames and buried alive by falling masonry.
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“Most of the bodies are charred beyond recognition,” a doctor toldThe Times.
”My entire shop fell on me. Smoke filled my face,” said Raza Ali, 30, a grocery store owner whose face was badly burnt.
Shakil Ahmed, another shopkeeper, said: “There was a huge explosion and black smoke covered the area.”
The explosives-packed car was parked outside a shop and was detonated by remote control, police said.
Relief workers said the number of casualties could rise as most of the 200 wounded were in a critical state. Others may still be trapped inside buildings.
A medical official outside the casualty wing of a local hospital called on passing members of the public to donate blood as the doctors described harrowing scenes on the wards.
“There are body parts. There are people. There are burnt people. There are dead bodies. There are wounded. I’m not in a position to count. But my estimate is that the death toll may rise,” said Dr Muslim Khan.
The attack came a couple of hours after Mrs Clinton, the US Secretary of State, had arrived for talks with Pakistani leaders amid tightened security. Her diplomatic mission was to help shore up support for the attacks on militants, which are increasingly controversial within Pakistan.
Mrs Clinton was three hours’ drive away in the capital, Islamabad, when the blast took place.
More than 300 civilians have been killed in attacks by militants in the past three weeks since 30,000 Pakistani troops moved into the South Waziristan tribal region, the nation’s main stronghold of Taleban and al-Qaeda militants.
Pakistan has been placed on high alert amid fears of retaliatory strikes by extremists. The terrorists have regularly targeted Peshawar, the capital of the troubled North West Frontier Province.
The military claimed today that it had made significant headway in the 12-day operation against the Taleban and that troops were closing in on Sararogha, another stronghold of the Taleban in South Waziristan.
Major General Athar Abbas, the chief military spokesman, said that troops had also surrounded a town that was being held by Uzbek fighters. "The Taleban are now fleeing the area, shaving their beards, “ he told reporters.
No one claimed responsibility for today’s attack but police blamed the Taleban, who have been involved in previous assaults. Taleban leaders warned that they would stage more attacks if the army did not end its offensive against the militants.
