Blast kills 15 in Pak`s Punjab village

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, July 13 (PTI) At least 15 people, including
seven children, were killed and 70 others injured on Monday 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 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 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