45 killed in suicide blast at Pakistan-India border post

LAHORE, Pakistan – At least 45 people were killed Sunday, November 2, in a suicide bombing at a border crossing between India and Pakistan, police said.

The blast came after the end of the ceremony to close the Wagah border gate near the eastern city of Lahore, a colorful military parade that attracts thousands of spectators every day and is popular with foreign tourists.

“It appears to have been a suicide attack. At least 45 people have been killed, two Rangers officials are among the dead and women and children were also killed,” Mushtaq Sukhera, the Punjab provincial police chief, told AFP.

Lahore police chief Amin Wains confirmed it was a suicide attack.

“People were returning after watching the parade at Wagah border when the blast took place. Ball bearings were found at the scene,” he said.

Huge crowds gather on both sides at Wagah each sunset to see the display of military pageantry that accompanies the formal closing of the border post.

Pakistan has been wracked by a homegrown Taliban insurgency that has killed thousands of people in recent years, but attacks have tailed off since the army launched a major anti-militant offensive in the northwest in June. – Rappler.com