A powerful bomb explosion inside a train car has killed at least three passengers and wounded 25 others in the Pakistani province of Punjab, security sources say.
The incident took place when the train was traveling from Punjab’s capital, Lahore, to the southern port city of Karachi.
Pakistani security officials say the explosion occurred in a crowded compartment of the Shalimar Express near Toba Tek Singh city on Monday afternoon.
Rescue teams have rushed the injured to hospitals in nearby cities of Faisalabad and Toba Tek Singh.
Medical sources have identified one of the victims as a two-and-a-half-year child who succumbed to his injuries at hospital. Sources also say three of the wounded are in critical condition.
Police authorities and Pakistan Railways officials say they have launched an investigation into the deadly incident.
The attack comes at a time when the country is grappling with growing wave of violence and militancy.
No group has yet claimed responsibility, but the Pakistani government often blames the pro-Taliban militants for similar attacks in the violence-wracked country.
Militants have carried out numerous attacks against security forces as well as civilians and managed to spread their influence in various regions of the country, despite frequent offensives by the Pakistani army.
Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since 2001, when Pakistan entered an alliance with the United States in the so-called Å“war on terror.”
Thousands more have been also displaced by the wave of violence and militancy in the country.
JR/SS
Republished from: Press TV