Monday, July 13, 2009

Blast kills 15 in Mian Channu



MULTAN :An explosion at the home of a local cleric in Punjab killed 15 people on Monday, trapping casualties under the rubble of dozens of flattened homes, officials said.

It was not immediately clear why the explosives detonated on the outskirts of Mian Channu, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) east of Multan city.

"The blast took place inside the house of a local cleric. Children used to come to his house for religious education," local district police chief Kamran Khan told reporters.

"Rescue teams have recovered 15 dead bodies. Dozens are injured. The blast was apparently due to some type of explosives inside the house," Khan added.

A doctor at the local hospital confirmed the death toll.

"We received 15 dead bodies. Thirty-five people are injured," Doctor Naeem Sadiq told AFP by telephone.

Khan said 20 to 25 homes collapsed in the explosion.

A senior local administration official, Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad, told the private Geo television station that several homes collapsed.

"It was a huge blast. We do not know how it happened but it was a severe one," witness Mohammad Baber told AFP.

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