LAHORE (24/04/12): Two people were killed and at least 27 others injured in a powerful blast that ripped through the busy Lahore Railway Station on Tuesday, according to the Capital City Police Officer.
However, Rescue 1122 sources put the number of injured at 40, most of whom were taken to Mayo Hospital and the rest to Ganga Ram Hospital. Five of the injured are said to be in a critical condition.
The blast occurred outside the business train's counter at platform No-2 where people queue up in large numbers to buy tickets.
Capital City Police Officer, Aslam Tarin termed it a terrorist act in which the bomb was planted in a bag and left at a ticket counter. He estimated that six to eight kilograms of explosives were used in the explosion.
"We're trying to investigate how the bag managed to get through despite so many scanners," he said.
He put the number of dead at 2 and injured in the tragic bomb blast at 27. The blast left a 4-5 ft crater on the floor, he added.
Later, Federal Minister for Railways, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour formed an investigation committee headed by IG Railways to probe the incident.
The Minister also announced compensation of Rs 0.5 million each for the heirs of the dead and Rs 0.1 million each for the injured.
Earlier, Immediately after the explosion, police cordoned off the blast site where teams of emergency services also kick started the rescue work. The dead and injured were brought to Mayo and Ganga Ram hospitals where emergency was declared.
TV images showed that broken glass of windows and doors of railway staff's offices at platform No-2 littered across the floor. A false ceiling of an office also collapsed.
The News - Pakistani Media
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