TIL Desk/World/Sehwan/ Over 70 people were killed and nearly 150 others injured tonight when an Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up inside the crowded shrine of revered Sufi Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan town, some 200 km northeast of Karachi, in a string of deadly blasts this week in Pakistan.
The bomber entered the shrine through its Golden gate and blew himself up near the site where the ritual of Sufi dance dhamal was taking place. The attacker first threw a grenade, to cause panic and then blew himself up, police said.
Inspector General of Police for Sindh province AD Khawaja confirmed to media that police had counted 70 dead bodies so far.
“So far 70 people have been killed and more than 150 wounded,” he said. The deceased included 12 women and four children.
Earlier, Sehwan police station SHO Rasool Baksh told reporters that around 100 people, including women and children, have been killed in the suicide bomb attack. The ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on their Aamaq news agency, saying a suicide bomber had targeted a “Shiite gathering” at the shrine in Sindh.