Blasts hit Shiite Muslims in Pakistan; 22 killed (3rd Lead)

Feb 5, 2010, 13:40 GMT

Islamabad - Two successive blasts targeting Shiite Muslims killed at least 22 people in Pakistan's port city of Karachi on Friday, officials and media reports said.

The explosions, which took place less than two hours apart, came as the Shiite community marked the 40th day of Ashura that commemorates the seventh century death of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, Imam Hussain.

Sagheer Ahmad, health minister in Sindh province of which Karachi is the capital, said the first blast tore through a bus carrying Shiite Muslims to a religious gathering at around 3pm (1000 GMT).

'It killed 12 people and wounded 50 others, including women and children,' Ahmad said.

Rescuers moved the bodies and the injured to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, a state-run hospital, where the second blast occurred in the parking area of the emergency department.

A large crowd was present at the scene, moving the victims to other medical facilities.

Sindh police chief Babar Khattak told the ARY News television channel that at least 10 people were killed and several more injured in the hospital parking area.

Hospital authorities said they feared the death toll could increase as over a dozen wounded people were in a critical condition.

Khattak said investigators were determining whether the blasts were caused by planted devices or suicide bombers.

A roadside bomb blast in Karachi on December 28 killed at least 43 Shiites participating in an Ashura procession.

Shiite Muslims account for 20 per cent of Pakistan's population of nearly 170 million.

Both groups generally live in harmony, but the holy month of Muharram and subsequent mourning period often see deadly sectarian violence between majority Sunnis and minority Shiites.