39 killed in Pakistan blasts

Two bombs exploded at a gathering of Sunni Muslim radicals in the central Pakistan city of Multan before dawn today, killing at least 39 people and injuring about 100 others.

Two bombs exploded at a gathering of Sunni Muslim radicals in the central Pakistan city of Multan before dawn today, killing at least 39 people and injuring about 100 others.

Police immediately suspected a sectarian attack. The bombing comes less than a week after a suicide attack left 31 dead at a Shiite mosque in an eastern city.

About 3,000 people had gathered in a residential area of Multan to mark the anniversary of the death of the leader of the outlawed Sunni radical group, Sipah-e-Sahaba, killed in an attack last year.

A car bomb exploded near the venue as people were starting to disperse after the overnight meeting, and two minutes later a second bomb attached to a motorcycle went off.

Officials at the Nishtar government hospital said at least 39 people were killed and more than 100 people were wounded, about 50 seriously. Some 50 others were treated for minor injuries and later discharged. Other people had been taken to other clinics.

Pools of blood and shoes of the victims were scattered at the scene, near the charred remains of the car.

Talat Mahmood Tariq, police chief for Multan region, said the car bomb, estimated to weigh about 15 pounds, was set off by remote control and most injuries were caused by flying metal from the vehicle.

Witnesses said about 2,000 angry Sunnis gathered outside the Nishtar hospital after the bombings, shouting "Shiites are infidels!" Police said they were stepping up security in the city, which has suffered sectarian violence in the past.

Sunni Muslims make up about 80 percent of the 150 million people in Pakistan, and most of the rest are Shiites. The vast majority of both sects live in harmony but radical elements on both sides carry out attacks.

Pakistan, a key ally in the US-led war on terrorism, has suffered a spate of terrorist attacks in recent years, and has a history of sectarian violence.

Today's blasts came six days after a suicide attacker detonated a bomb inside a crowded Shiite mosque in the eastern city of Sialkot during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and injuring more than 50.