Islamabad , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- The death toll from the suicide bombing in Pakistan 's financial capital , Karachi , rose to 40 , authorities said Tuesday . The blast on Monday targeted a Shiite procession on M.A . Jinnah Road . The victims were among thousands of devotees commemorating Ashura , a major religious observance for the Shiites , one of two main Muslim denominations . Ashura marks the death anniversary of Imam Hussein , grandson of Prophet Mohammed . Hussein , who was killed in battle in Karbala in 680 A.D. , is regarded as a martyr -- and the battle is one of the events that helped create the schism between Sunnis and Shiites , the two main Muslim religious movements . Religious mourning during Ashura is characterized by people chanting , beating their breasts in penance , cutting themselves with daggers or swords and whipping themselves in synchronized moves . Shias are a minority in Pakistan . No one has claimed responsibility for the attack . But the government is in the midst of an intense army offensive to rout militants from their haven along the country 's border with Afghanistan . In retaliations , the militants have launched a series of deadly attacks in Pakistan . CNN 's Pierre Bairin contributed to this report .
Death toll rises . Blast took place near where thousands of Shiite Muslims were commemorating Ashura . A day earlier a bombing in northeast Pakistan killed 11 people .