World

Bombs Rock Pakistan

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

November 27, 2000 / 3:43 PM EST / CBS

Three bombs exploded in eastern Punjab province Monday, killing two and injuring at least 24 other people, police said.

Two bombs went off within minutes of each other at a bus stop in the provincial capital Lahore. Fourteen people were hurt, at least one seriously, they said.

The third bomb ripped through a crowded market in Muridke, some 18 miles northwest of Lahore, killing two and injuring at least 10 others. A 6-year-old child and a woman in her thirties were transported to a hospital in Lahore, where they died. Two others were said to be in serious condition.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings.

Lashkar-e-Tayyaba militants, headquartered in Muridke, accused India of masterminding the explosions. Lashkar-e-Tayyaba is one of the larger militant groups battling Indian soldiers in disputed Kashmir. Immediate response from India was not available.

Police said the three bombs appeared to be locally made devices and went off almost simultaneously at about 2 p.m. They suspect the bombs in Lahore were hidden in luggage that had been abandoned. Fire and smoke billowed from burning vehicles, witnesses said.

"People were running and screaming. I don't know who knocked me down but someone ran into me." said Mohammed Ashraf, who, like many of the victims, suffered burn injuries. "My legs were on fire."

In Muridke, the bomb was apparently hidden beneath a horse-drawn cart in the middle of a bazaar selling secondhand clothing and household goods, said Jan Mohammed, 40.

Mohammed, who suffered burns to his face and legs, said he was knocked unconscious and awoke in a Lahore hospital. "I don't remember anything after hearing a loud noise," he said.

Police said there was no immediate connection between the explosion and the militant group, but an investigation was underway.

There have been a series of bomb explosions in major cities throughout Pakistan in recent months, causing dozens of casualties.

Pakistan routinely blames the explosions, particularly in eastern Punjab province, on uneasy neighbor India. In turn, India accuses Pakistan of fomenting violence on its territory, specifically its violence-wracked Jammu-Kashmir state.

Both countries deny the charges.