A powerful roadside bomb has exploded among a procession of Ashura in Bahawalnagar, killing at least three and wounding over 50 people, local police said.
Videos circulating on social media showed police and ambulances rushing toward the site of the explosion. Several wounded people were seen waiting for help along a road in the deeply conservative city of Bahawalnagar in the eastern Punjab province, where the attack took place.
“We have confirmation of three dead and 50 injured from the blast at the procession site,” said a senior government official in Bahawalnagar.
Social media videos showed bleeding victims lying on a road being helped by members of the public.
A local police officer, Kashif Hussain, also confirmed the death toll to AFP.
“The nature of the explosion is not yet clear as a team is still collecting evidence from the scene,” he said.