Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Aftermath of deadly Lahore explosion

At least eight people have been killed by an explosion in the Pakistani city of Lahore, officials say.

The blast, which ripped through a shopping area, injured dozens more.

Initial reports suggested an electricity generator exploded, but police later said that it may have been a bomb.

Pakistan has been hit by a wave of bombings claimed by Islamist militant groups in recent days. There was no immediate claim for the latest blast.

It happened in Lahore's Defence Housing Authority suburb. Television footage showed buildings, cars and motorbikes damaged by the explosion.

The provincial Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said that investigators had found traces of explosive material at the site and were trying to establish how and why it was in the building.

Image copyright AP Image caption The blast smashed windows and damaged vehicles, wounding dozens of people

Local police chief Haider Ashraf said the blast was in an area that was under construction, adding that work was being carried out by staff at the time.

"Our focus at the moment is to rush the victims to hospitals and secure the scene," Mr Ashraf said shortly after the incident on Thursday.

One witness, Asif, said he saw people lying on the ground before police and security officers arrived.

"As I am not a doctor, it was difficult to tell how many were wounded and how many were dead. But they were many," Asif said.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Soldiers cordoned off the blast site in Lahore

Last week a Taliban faction said it carried out a bomb attack in Lahore, which killed 13 people and wounded more than 80.

Days later a suicide bomb attack at a shrine in the southern town of Sehwan was claimed by the so-called Islamic State (IS). Police now say 90 people were killed.

In response, Pakistan launched a security crackdown, which included closing border crossings with Afghanistan, and claims it killed 100 militants.</s>At least six people have been killed by an explosion in the Pakistani city of Lahore, officials say, according to BBC.

The blast ripped through a shopping area, wounding another 30 people.

The cause is unknown. Initial reports suggested an electricity generator exploded but police said later it may have been a bomb.

Pakistan has been hit by a wave of bombings claimed by Islamist militant groups in recent days. There was no immediate claim for the latest blast.

It happened in Lahore's Defence Housing Authority suburb. Television footage showed buildings and cars damaged by the blast.</s>Lahore - An explosion that killed seven people and caused panic in the Pakistani city of Lahore was caused by a gas leak and not a bomb as police had earlier stated, according to officials on Friday.

The blast on Thursday wounded dozens in the provincial capital, already on edge after a suicide attack just ten days earlier killed 14 people, part of a deadly wave of militant violence that has rippled across Pakistan this month.

Multiple police and administration officials had earlier stated on the record that the explosion in a posh area of the eastern city, which blew out windows and crumpled cars, was a bomb.

But amid rumours and speculation, authorities revised their assessment at a press conference in Lahore on Friday.

"Yesterday's explosion was an accident. It was not caused by explosives or a result of terrorism," Punjab provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah said Friday.

"The presence of gas cylinders and leakage has been confirmed on the site," he continued. "We got the forensic report this morning and the results and conclusions are that there was no indication of explosives or related materials."

Debris had blocked the forensics team from accessing the site, he said, while the analysis took up to eight hours.

Sanaullah blamed the confusion on chaos in the aftermath of the incident, and suggested authorities were considering reforming the provincial press department to streamline the flow of verified information.

He also said the blast had killed seven people, not eight as officials had earlier stated.

Thursday's explosion sent panic through Lahore, where reports of a second blast were quickly debunked, and on social media, where users exchanged dire warnings purporting to be from intelligence agencies. The military later denied issuing the messages.

The rumours underscored growing nervousness across the country after a series of assaults shook Pakistanis emboldened by what had been a prolonged lull in violence.

Attacks over the last fortnight include a bomb in Lahore on February 13 which killed 14 people, and a devastating suicide blast at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province that left 90 devotees dead.

The incidents, most of which were claimed by the Islamic State group or the Pakistani Taliban, have dented optimism after the country appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long war on militancy.</s>A Pakistani soldier cordons off the site of an explosion in Lahore on February 23, 2017, which blew out windows and crumpled cars (AFP Photo/ARIF ALI)

An explosion that killed seven people and caused panic in the Pakistani city of Lahore was caused by a gas leak and not a bomb as police had earlier stated, officials said Friday.

The blast on Thursday wounded dozens in the provincial capital, already on edge after a suicide attack just ten days earlier killed 14 people, part of a deadly wave of militant violence that has rippled across Pakistan this month.

Multiple police and administration officials had earlier stated on the record that the explosion in a posh area of the eastern city, which blew out windows and crumpled cars, was a bomb.

But amid rumours and speculation, authorities revised their assessment at a press conference in Lahore Friday.

"Yesterday's explosion was an accident. It was not caused by explosives or a result of terrorism," Punjab provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah said Friday.

"The presence of gas cylinders and leakage has been confirmed on the site," he continued. "We got the forensic report this morning and the results and conclusions are that there was no indication of explosives or related materials."

Debris had blocked the forensics team from accessing the site, he said, while the analysis took up to eight hours.

Sanaullah blamed the confusion on chaos in the aftermath of the incident, and suggested authorities were considering reforming the provincial press department to streamline the flow of verified information.

Thursday's explosion sent panic through Lahore, where reports of a second blast were quickly debunked. Most schools and restaurants were closed Friday.

The organisers of the Lahore Literary Festival, the country's biggest, said it had been scaled back from three days this weekend to just one. "In light of the present circumstances, we feel it's optimal," Razi Ahmad, CEO of the festival, told AFP.

The incident also spread panic through social media, where users exchanged dire warnings purporting to be from intelligence agencies. The military later denied issuing the messages.

The rumours underscored growing nervousness across the country after a series of assaults shook Pakistanis emboldened by what had been a prolonged lull in violence.

Attacks over the last fortnight include a bomb in Lahore on February 13 which killed 14 people, and a devastating suicide blast at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province that left 90 devotees dead.

The incidents, most of which were claimed by the Islamic State group or the Pakistani Taliban, have dented optimism after the country appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long war on militancy.</s>Lahore: A day after Pakistan army announced a countrywide crackdown against terrorists, a massive blast rocked parts of Lahore city which resulted in killing of at least 10 persons killed and over 20 wounded today.

 

 

 

 

 According to local police, a powerful explosion targeted the Defence Housing Authority along with a commercial area with scores of eateries, including restaurants serving Indian cuisine.

A spokesman for Punjab police said, government authorities initially claimed that the blast was the result of a “generator explosion”, later said the explosion was caused by a bomb.

Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique told media persons, “Ten people were killed as a result of the explosion in Lahore’s Defence area today (Thursday),” adding that forensic teams were working on the case.

 

 

 

 

 According to bomb disposal squad, a bomb was planted inside an under-construction building and detonated through a timing device. As much as eight to 10 kg of explosive material was used, the impact of the blast shattered windows of nearby buildings and vehicles.

However, there were reports of a second blast in Lahore’s Gulberg area but Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah denied it.

A day earlier, the military announced a massive urban counter-terrorism operation after a week of bombings in Punjab, Sindh, Fata, Khyber Pakhtunwa and Balochistan claimed at least 100 lives.

 

 

 

 

 The worst bombing took place at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sindh’s Sehwan town last week when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside the shrine, killing 90 people.

At least 13 people in Lahore on February 13th, including top police officials, were killed and dozens injured in suicide attack near the Punjab Assembly.

No militant group claimed the responsibility for Thursday’s attack, but the series of bombing in the past week has been claimed by the Jamat-ul-Ahrar group – a splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.</s>At least eight people were killed and 35 injured in Pakistan on Thursday after a bomb exploded in an under-construction building in Lahore’s Defence Y block area, Dawn reported. While the Punjab government initially said a generator blast had led to the explosion, police told Geo TV News that a timed device containing 8-10 kg explosives had caused it.

The blast took place near a popular shopping market in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority locality. Several offices and eateries in the area were also affected and windscreens of cars parked far away from the building were shattered. The injured are being treated at the General Hospital in Lahore.

Teams from the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory were called in to collect evidence, Dawn added. Schools in the area have been shut down for the day and a search operation is being conducted in the market.

There were reports of a second explosion near the Gulberg area in Lahore, but Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah dismissed such reports.

Several cities across Pakistan have been put on high alert following a series of terror attacks that have taken place in the country in the last ten days, killing over a 100 people. On Tuesday, at least five people were killed in three bomb blasts at a local court in Pakistan’s Charsadda district. Three suicide attackers were also killed in the incident.

On February 13, a suicide blast on Lahore’s Mall road killed 13 people. Banned militant outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed the responsibility. At least 85 people were killed in a suicide attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Shrine in Sehwan on February 16, and the Islamic State group had claimed to be behind the carnage.</s>LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani provincial minister says an explosion has killed six people in the eastern city of Lahore.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah says it is not yet clear what caused Thursday’s explosion, which took place at an upscale Lahore restaurant. He says the explosion also wounded at least 15 people.

The violence is the latest in a string of brazen suicide bombings and other attacks over the past two weeks that have killed over 125 people.

The attacks have been claimed by an array of militant groups, including the Islamic State group and a splinter Taliban faction, and have prompted a countrywide crackdown on militants.

In just one bombing, which was claimed by IS and which targeted a revered Sufi shrine packed with Shiite worshippers, at least 90 people were killed.</s>LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) - A Pakistani government minister says investigators have concluded that a deadly explosion the previous day in the city of Lahore was caused by a gas leak from a cooking cylinder, not a bomb.

Rana Sanaullah says experts found no traces of explosives at the scene of the blast in a restaurant in the eastern Pakistani city.

His statement on Friday countered that of the Counter-Terrorism Department, which said on Thursday that a bomb caused the explosion.

Police cordon off the area of explosion in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. A Pakistani provincial minister says an explosion has killed at least eight people in the eastern city of Lahore. The violence is the latest in a string of brazen suicide bombings and other attacks over the past two weeks that have killed over 125 people. The attacks have been claimed by an array of militant groups, including the Islamic State group and a splinter Taliban faction, and have prompted a countrywide crackdown on militants. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Initially, police said eight died but Sanaullah revised the death toll to seven killed.

He says the explosion was obviously an "accident" and is in no way linked to a string of militant attacks that have killed more than 125 people over the past two weeks across Pakistan.</s>LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani government minister says investigators have concluded that a deadly explosion the previous day in the city of Lahore was caused by a gas leak from a cooking cylinder, not a bomb.

Rana Sanaullah says experts found no traces of explosives at the scene of the blast in a restaurant in the eastern Pakistani city.

His statement on Friday countered that of the Counter-Terrorism Department, which said on Thursday that a bomb caused the explosion.

Initially, police said eight died but Sanaullah revised the death toll to seven killed.

He says the explosion was obviously an “accident” and is in no way linked to a string of militant attacks that have killed more than 125 people over the past two weeks across Pakistan.</s>Lahore - At least five people were killed and 15 injured after a blast ripped through a building in an upscale shopping area of Pakistan's Lahore on Thursday, officials said, the latest in a surge in Islamist violence.

"It was a bomb attack," Nayab Haider, a spokesperson for the provincial Punjab police said. Rescue services spokeswoman Deeba Shehnaz provided the casualty toll.

Television footage showed a smouldering building and several crumpled cars with their windows blown out.

The explosion took place in the particularly affluent Defence Housing Authority suburb of the city, replete with upscale boutiques and cafes as well as an academy for the international hair salon Toni & Guy.

It came a day after the military announced the launch of a nationwide anti-terrorist operation in the wake of a series of bloody assaults that have killed more than 130 people in the past two weeks.

They included a previous bomb blast in Lahore on February 13 which killed 14 people, and a devastating suicide attack at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province that left 90 devotees dead.

The attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State group and the Pakistani Taliban, dented growing optimism over the country's security after it appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long war on militancy.
At least six people are killed in a bomb blast in the Pakistani city of Lahore.