Monday, August 5, 2013

Pakistan: Two killed, 21 injured as blast hits Shalimar Express

At least two people have been killed and 21 others injured as a powerful explosion hit Shalimar Express near Chatiana railway station in Toba Tekh Singh, a main district in the country s eastern Punjab province, Dunya News reported on Monday. The explosion took place at about 1:00 p.m. (local time) in the washroom of coach number 7-D of the Lahore-Karachi bound passenger train. Following the blast, the train was brought to a halt and rescue teams shifted the injured to hospitals in Faisalabad and Toba Tek Singh where emergency was imposed as soon as news of the explosion came. Police and Pakistan Railways personnel arrived at the scene to inspect the area and investigate the incident. The bomb weighing 8 to 10 kilograms was hidden inside a black plastic bag, sources told. According to sources, owners of Shalimar Express received threats to pay extortion by unknown micreants via telephone call from an Afghanistan s phone number. However, security measures were not increased by the higher authorities to prevent any mishap as only five police constables were deployed in the train. Railway sources confirmed the commencement of investigation over extortion deman from suspected number and Intelligence Bureau (IB) has also traced the number belonging to the neighbouring country Afghanistan.

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