A Muslim suicide bomber killed at least 70 people, mostly Christian women and children, at a park in Lahore on Easter Sunday. A Pakistani Muslim Taliban faction claimed responsibility for the bombing, and said it had intentionally targeted Christians.
More than 300 other people, again mostly Christians, were wounded, officials said. The death toll is expected to rise over the coming days.
The explosion occurred in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park close to the children’s swings. The park is a popular site for members of Lahore’s Christian community, many of whom had gone there to celebrate the Easter weekend holiday.
Witnesses said they saw body parts strewn across the parking lot once the dust had settled after the blast.
“When the blast occurred, the flames were so high they reached above the trees and I saw bodies flying in the air,” said Hasan Imran, 30, a resident who was interviewed by local media.
Police Superintendent Mustansar Feroz said most of the casualties were Christian women and children.
The Muslim Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack. “The target was Christians,” spokesman for the faction, Ehsanullah Ehsan reportedly said. “We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that we have entered Lahore.”
Muslims in Pakistan have attacked Christians and other religious minorities often over the past decade, and the attacks are increasing.
Many Christians accuse the government of doing little or nothing to protect them, saying politicians are quick to offer condolences after an attack but slow to take any concrete steps to improve security.
Salman Rafique, a health adviser for the Punjab provincial government, said many of the wounded were undergoing emergency surgery in hospitals.
“We fear that the death toll may climb considerably,” he said on local media.
TV footage showed children and women standing in pools of blood outside the park, crying and screaming as rescue workers, officials, police and bystanders carried injured people to ambulances and private cars.
Photo by a CFI co-worker in Pakistan | Outside Jinnah Hospital where victims were taken for emergency care following the attacks
Dozens of women and children were wheeled into hospitals, covered in blood. Many of the injured were transported to hospitals in taxis and auto-rickshaws due to a shortage of ambulances. Hundreds of Christians arrived outside hospitals to donate blood.
Photo by a CFI co-worker in Pakistan | Local media arrive to report on the attacks
Local television channels reported that many of the dead bodies were being kept in hospital wards as morgues were overcrowded.
The Vatican condemned the attack, and said Pope Francis was praying for all Pakistanis, including the Christian minority.
“The horrible massacre of dozens of innocent people in a park in Lahore, Pakistan, casts a shadow of sadness and anguish on the feast of Easter,” it said.
In the United States, a White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement: “The United States stands with the people and government of Pakistan at this difficult hour. We will continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region … to root out the scourge of terrorism.”
The Obama Administration did not recognize this as an attack on Christians.
What You Can Do:
Christian Freedom International’s co-worker in Lahore is requesting urgent donations for medical care and medicine. As extremely poor, second class citizens, most Christians in Pakistan cannot afford even basic medical care in this Muslim nation. A gift of any amount is urgently needed to cover the hospital costs of the surviving injured Christians. Survivors are currently receiving basic treatment in low budget-government-run hospitals, but there are still costs that they must pay in order to continue to receive care. Plus, they have to purchase all their medicine. Please give $10, $20, $100 or more to help the surviving Christians with their medical care.
To complete the tragedy, many of the Christians cannot afford to bury their dead. Any help you can provide for funeral costs is needed.
Thank you for your prayers, and for your support for Christians in Pakistan during this terrible time.