At least 34 injured in bomb blast in Pakistan’s Lahore
At least 34 people have been injured in a bomb blast in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, says a government official.
"The explosive material was planted inside a truck which was loaded with fruit," said Abdullah Khan Sumbal, a high-ranking government official, on Monday.
"At least 34 people have been injured, most of them were passersby," he added, noting that the wounded had been sent to two hospitals.
He went on to note that an investigation has been launched on determining how and when the vehicle arrived at the blast site.
According to local recuse services, three of the wounded are in a critical condition, and that the blast also destroyed a close by building and damaged some cars parked in the vicinity.
The latest attack came some two weeks after a powerful explosion claimed the lives of at least 26 people and injured dozens more in the city.
The bombing was claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, in a message sent to the media by its spokesman Muhammad Khurassani.
Bomb blasts by militants are common in Pakistan, especially in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. However, attacks in Lahore have become less frequent recently.
Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since 2001, when Pakistan entered an alliance with the US in the so-called war on terror. Thousands more have been displaced by the wave of violence and militancy sweeping across the country.
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