PESHAWAR/PARACHINAR - Twin suicide attacks rocked a busy marketplace in Parachinar Friday evening killing at least 50 people and injuring more than 180 others, the deadliest terrorist hit in the country during the holy month of Ramazan.
Local sources said that the two blasts in the central bazaar of this main town of tribal Kurram Agency occurred with a gap of just two minutes. The first explosion came in front of a Shia mosque while the second one at the School Road.
Doctors at the main public hospital in the town said 50 people were killed, and 20 critically wounded among the more than 180 injured.
There was heavy rush in the congested bazaar as people were buying food items for Iftar. The explosions sent handcarts flying and injured were seen crying in pain and panic amid the pools of blood of the shoppers and sellers.
People from the nearby areas rushed for help and shifted the injured and the bodies to Parachinar Headquarters Hospital, where emergency was declared. The relatives thronged the hospital and were seen searching for their missing near and dear ones.
"We can confirm the death of 50 people in the twin blasts. More than 180 others have been injured in the attack," hospital head doctor Sabir Hussein said. "We have sent 20 critically wounded people to major hospitals in Peshawar and Kohat," he added.
Parachinar administration officials said both blasts were carried out by suicide bombers. "There were two blasts in the main bazaar of Parachinar. These were carried out by two suicide bombers who walked into the crowded market," senior administration official Riaz Mehsud said. He said the market was packed with people and blasts also damaged up to 15 shops and two cars. "We found many body parts, including parts of the suicide bombers. There was blood and human flesh at the blasts site," he said.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah strongly condemned the terrorist attack describing it a highly gruesome and inhuman act, and expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of lives. He directed Kohat Division Commissioner and provincial Health Services director general to enforce emergency at the hospitals in the divisional headquarter and ensure best treatment to the injured.
The area where the bombers struck is mainly inhabited by minority Shias but officials said they could not immediately identify the victims. "Many bodies can't be identified because they have been mutilated very badly," said Salahuddin, a health technician at the hospital. He said lists of the dead and injured were being drafted and that the number of casualties could rise.
Kurram has been the scene of frequent sectarian violence between Sunni majority and Shia minority. The army has also been fighting for years against the insurgents in this district and the other agencies of the tribal belt. Militants from Afghanistan have also occasionally crossed the border and launched attacks on the local population and the Pakistani forces.
Security forces launched several military operations to flush out the Taliban and al-Qaida terrorist from the area that was once their stronghold but some militant hideouts in the agency are still intact and the troops are still engaged in anti-terrorist operations.
Pakistan is battling a Taliban-led domestic insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians and security personnel since 2007. Washington considers the country's tribal areas a major hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.