Multiple cylinder blasts reported in Lahore’s Barkat market
At least one person sustained burn wounds in the blast, and around 12 vehicles parked nearby have been damaged
Multiple cylinder blasts rocked Lahore’s Barkat market on Tuesday. According to rescue workers at the site, the gas cylinders blew up one after another making it difficult for rescue operators to get near the blast site. People present at the site told Pakistani news agencies that "so far 10 cylinders have exploded," reported ANI.
At least one person sustained burn wounds in the blast, and around 12 vehicles parked nearby have been damaged, reported ANI. Shops located nearby have been shut after some were reportedly damaged by the blast. Police and local authorities have cordoned off the surrounding area and efforts are currently underway to douse the ensuing flames.
This comes days after a powerful explosion near the house of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and chief of the banned outfit Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed in Lahore on June 23.
The blast which took place in Johar town killed three people and injured 24 including a police constable. Saeed’s house was undamaged by the explosion but some many other houses and shops falling within a 100 square feet radius of the explosion site were damaged.
A car mechanic was arrested for modifying the interiors of a car that was reportedly used in the blast. The arrested individual was detained and moved to an undisclosed location on June 26, reported ANI. Police said around 30 kilograms of explosives were used in the blast, and planted in a car stolen from Gujranwala and parked near the residence of Hafiz Saeed in Board of Revenue Housing Society, Johar Town.
Punjab province chief minister Usman Buzdar and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani told reporters at a joint press conference that "anti-Pakistan intelligence agency" was involved in the explosion.
