Islamabad, July 02: At least six people were killed and over 25 injured on Thursday when a motorcycle-borne suicide bomber struck a bus carrying employees of a top nuclear facility in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi near here.
The bomber rammed his motorcycle into the fuel tank of
the bus at Chuhr Chowk, a busy commercial area located near
the cantonment in Rawalpindi, a little after 4 pm local time,
Regional Police Officer Nasir Khan Durrani told reporters.
At least six persons were killed and over 25 people,
including passersby and people in other cars, were injured in
the blast, officials said.
The body parts of the bomber and components of the
motorcycle were gathered by investigators soon after the
attack.
The bus belonged to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
and was carrying about 50 to 60 government employees,
Rawalpindi police chief Rao Muhammad Iqbal told Dawn News
channel. It was followed by other vehicles from the same
department, he said.
Media reports said the bus was carrying employees of Khan
Research Laboratories, one of Pakistan's top strategic atomic
facilities named after nuclear scientist A Q Khan. However,
there was no official word on this issue.
The injured were taken to several hospitals, where an
emergency was declared by authorities. The blast also damaged
about two dozen vehicles.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack. However,
Pakistani Taliban commanders had recently vowed to carry out
attacks across the country in retaliation for the military
operations being conducted against militants in the
north-western Swat valley and other troubled areas.
Security was further tightened in Rawalpindi and
Islamabad following the attack.
Both cities were placed under an extensive security
blanket some weeks ago in the wake of a wave of bombings and
suicide attacks across Pakistan.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, July 02, 2009, 17:11