Death toll from Karachi car bombing rises to 48

USPA News - The death toll from a massive car bombing on Sunday evening near a mosque in the Pakistani port city of Karachi has risen to 48 after several people succumbed to their injuries, police said on Monday. It is believed Sunni militants were responsible.

The explosion took place on Sunday evening when an explosives-laden vehicle blew up in front of an apartment building in Abbas town, located in the southern port city of Karachi which is the provincial capital of Sindh. It targeted Shiite Muslims who were leaving a mosque nearby. The powerful blast damaged shops and nearby residential apartments, causing a fire which sent thick black smoke up in the air. A police spokesman confirmed the death toll had risen to 48 after several injured people died overnight, and around 150 others were injured, including thirteen who were in a critical condition. Chief Minister of Sindh, Qaim Ali Shah, condemned the attack and announced financial assistance for the victims. The Muttahadi Qaumi Movement (MQM) and other groups and councils also announced a day of mourning in the region, and several schools said they would remain closed on Monday. Abbas Town is an area made up of mostly Shiite Muslims, a minority group that has been frequently targeted by Sunni militants in recent years. No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday`s attack, but officials in Karachi blamed the Sunni militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). Last month, at least 83 people were killed and 190 others were injured when a powerful bomb blast ripped through a vegetable market on the outskirts of Quetta, the largest city and provincial capital of Balochistan. LeJ claimed responsibility for that attack, which occurred in a Hazara Shiites-dominated neighborhood.