108 Die As Bhutto's Homecoming Procession Bombed

Oct 19, 04:21 PM

Current Headlines: TWO bombs exploded last night near a truck carrying former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on her celebratory return to Pakistan after eight years in exile.

Police and party workers said Bhutto was unhurt, but an official said there were at least 108 people killed, including 20 police officers and at least 100 wounded.

An initial small explosion was followed by a huge blast just feet from the front of the truck carrying Bhutto during a procession through Karachi.

The blast shattered windows in her vehicle and set a police escort vehicle on fire.

Bhutto's lawyer, Babar Awan, said that the former premier was safe.

Karachi police chief Azhar Farooqi told Dawn News that Bhutto was rushed from the area under pre-laid contingency plans.

"She was evacuated very safely and is now in Bilawal House," Farooqi told Dawn News television, referring to Bhutto's residence in Karachi.

More than 150,000 jubilant supporters had surrounded the convoy carrying Bhutto amid massive security in Karachi.

Footage from the scene of the blasts showed bodies on the ground, lying motionless, plus a dozen or more injured who were moving. At least one vehicle was burning.

Several motorcycles also lay on their sides. Flames burned in the centre of the street after the explosions.

Scores of people, mostly men wearing white robes, fled down the street after the blast.

Pools of blood, broken glass, tyres and bits of clothing littered the ground near where the bombs went off.

Authorities had urged her to travel in Karachi by helicopter to reduce the risk of attack. But Bhutto, hated by radical Islamists because she supports the US-led war on terrorism, brushed off the concerns. "I am not scared. I am thinking of my mission," she had told reporters on the plane.

Bhutto recently courted controversy in Pakistan by saying that she would co-operate with the American military in targeting Osama bin Laden, and authorities warned that Islamic militants could launch suicide attacks and roadside bombings against her.

Asked about such threats in Dubai on Wednesday, Bhutto said Islam forbade suicide bombings and attacks on her. "Muslims know if they attack a woman they will burn in hell," she said.

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