Islamabad, July 13: At least 15 people, including seven children, were killed and 70 others injured today in a powerful blast which destroyed a madrassa in a small village in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
The blast, caused by explosives stored in the house of a teacher, destroyed the madrassa and several houses in the village near Mian Channu in southern Punjab, officials said.
Local police and rescue officials told TV channels that 15 people, including seven children, were killed in the blast. Many of the dead were buried under the debris of collapsed homes.
They said the toll could rise as more bodies were believed to be under the rubble.
Doctors in local hospitals said 70 injured people had been brought in for treatment. An emergency was declared in all hospitals near Mian Channu.
Officials said the blast was caused by explosives stored in the house of schoolteacher Riaz Ali. It was not immediately known what had triggered the blast.
Footage aired by TV channels showed rescue workers removing parts of shells and bombs from the site of the explosion. The blast created a crater 40 feet wide and eight feet deep.
–PTI