45 killed, scores wounded in Pakistan border blast

Suspected suicide bombing kills at least 45 and more than 70 people, rescue officials say.

At least 45 people have been killed, scores wounded in Pakistan border blast. File Photo
At least 45 people have been killed, scores wounded in Pakistan border blast. File Photo

At least 45 people have been killed and more than 70 people have been wounded in a blast close to Pakistan-India border in Lahore, India, rescue officials say.

The incident occurred in a car park at the Wagah border near Lahore, the crossing used to pass between India and Pakistan. It happened at the end of a daily flag-lowering ceremony as people were coming out at the end of the ceremony.

Initial investigations suggest that a suicide bomber caused the explosion.

The death toll is expected to increase.

No group has taken responsibility for the blast, but the Pakistani military has been involved in a heavy campaign against the Tehrik-e-Taliban in northern Waziristan.

Provincial Pakistani police chief Mushtaq Sukhera told reporters in Lahore the police had intelligence reports in advance of the explosion that said such an attack was likely to happen, the AP news agency said.