Bomb blast in Multan leaves 12 dead

MULTAN: A bomb explosion at a security check post in Multan Tuesday killed at least 12 people and injured 18 others.
The explosion took place at the security post in the Qasim Bela area of Multan cantonment and damaged several buildings.

‘We have recovered 12 dead bodies and more than 18 injured. Most of the dead are civilians,’ said emergency services official doctor Kaleemullah, who was at the site of the blast.

‘There were also some security men among the dead. This building belongs to the army. It's badly damaged.’

Multan's police chief Saood Aziz told AFP the explosives appeared to have been planted in a small pick-up truck, but it was not immediately clear if it was a suicide attack, while the exact target was also unknown.

Multan is in Punjab province, which is still reeling from twin bomb blasts in its capital Lahore on Monday that killed at least 49 people and wounded 150 more at a busy market in the centre of the city.

This is also the first time Multan has been hit during a surge of violence that began in October and has already killed more than 400 people.