Bombing in Pakistan’s 2nd city Lahore kills 2, wounds 26

A powerful bomb went off in a crowded bazar in Pakistan’s second largest city of Lahore on Thursday, killing at least two people and wounding 26 others, police and rescue officials said.

Abid Khan, a senior police official, said the dead and wounded had been transported to a nearby hospital, where some were listed in critical condition. officers are still trying to determine what kind of device was used for the attack, he added.

The blast was so powerful that it damaged several shops near the eastern city’s famous Anarkali bazar, witnesses said. TV footage showed burning motorcycles in a crowded bazar, as the wounded cried for help.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but it comes days after the Pakistani Taliban shot dead three police officers in separate attacks in the capital, Islamabad as well as the northwest region bordering Afghanistan

The Pakistani Taliban, who have been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power across the border in Afghanistan, warned this week they could carry out more attacks in the near future.

Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the bombing in a statement, urging local authorities to provide the best possible medical facilities to those who were wounded in the blast.