Blast hits office of Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada in Attock
ATTOCK: At least eight people were killed Sunday when a suicide bomber attacked the political office of Punjab Home Minister Col (r) Shuja Khanzada in Attock, with the retired colonel severely wounded and trapped under the rubble.
Rescue and administration officials confirmed the death toll, adding that at least 17 other people were injured.
"The bodies of eight people have been pulled out from the rubble," Saeed, the commissioner of Rawalpindi, told reporters, adding it was a suicide attack.
According to reports, a jirga (open court) was underway at Khanzada’s political office in his native Shadi Khan village when the suicide attacker detonated his explosives. The blast caused the roof of the building to collapse under which the provincial home minister and other people were trapped.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab confirmed that rescue workers were trying to rescue Khanzada and other people, while eyewitnesses said that 20 and 25 people were still trapped under the debris.
"We responded as soon as we received information from Attock. The injured are critical and have immediately been shifted to the Attock District Headqaurters (DHQ) hospital Attock," Rescue 1122 spokesperson Deeba Shahnaz told Geo News.
A spokesperson for the Punjab police said that DSP Syed Shaukat Shah's body had been recovered from rubble. The police spokesperson also confirmed the death toll.
Another police official also confirmed the attack as a suicide bombing.
Speaking to Geo News from the location earlier, the provincial home minister's nephew Sohrab Khanzada said he was in the kitchen when the blast rocked the building with such intensity that it caused the entire building to collapse. He said that rescue workers were trying to retrieve the injured and dead from underneath the debris.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned the attack, while Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has also expressed condolences for the people killed in the blast.
Nisar has directed for provision of a helicopter from the Interior Ministry for shifting the injured on emergency basis, while he has also instructed army and air force personnel to aid in the rescue operation.
The ISPR said that special search and rescue team have been dispatched by helicopter to aid in the rescue operation in Attock.
Hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been put on high alert due to the high number of expected casualties from the explosion.
Punjab Home Minister Col (r) Shuja Khanzada has reportedly been martyred in a suicide attack at his political office in Attock on Sunday, according to rescue sources. At least 9 other people were also reportedly killed along with the minister while at least 30 others are said to be critically injured and buried under the rubble of the building after the blast caused the roof of the building to collapse.
Punjab home minister Shuja Khanzada feared dead in Attock suicide bombing
Shuja Khanzada, 8 others killed in suicide blast at Attock political office
Punjab Home Minister Col (r) Shuja Khanzada was killed along with eight others were killed in a suicide blast at his political office in Shadi Khan near Attock on Sunday.
Police said the blast appeared to be a large bomb, and it had caused the roof to cave in as Khanzada held meetings with supporters in his hometown of Attock. Khanzada is reportedly trapped under the rubble along with 24 other people as the entire structure of his office building collapsed.
“The bodies of eight people have been pulled out from the rubble,” Zahid Saeed, the commissioner of Rawalpindi, told reporters, adding it was a suicide attack.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar directed for the provision of helicopters from the Interior Ministry for shifting the injured on an emergency basis. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of the blast and DPO Attock has reached the site.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the blast at Khanzada’s residence and called for immediate rescue measures and medical aid for the injured.
Blast hits office of Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada in Attock
ATTOCK: At least eight people were killed Sunday when a suicide bomber attacked the political office of Punjab Home Minister Col (r) Shuja Khanzada in Attock, with the retired colonel severely wounded and trapped under the rubble.
Blast at Punjab home minister Shuja Khanzada's political office, 7 dead
ATTOCK: An intense explosion has taken place at Punjab home minister Colonel (retd) Shuja Khanzada's political office leaving seven people dead, police have confirmed. The impact of the blast caused a roof collapse of the building and shattered windows in nearby houses.
Blast at Punjab home minister Shuja Khanzada's political office, 3 dead
Blast at Punjab home minister Shuja Khanzada's office, 7 dead
ATTOCK: An intense explosion has taken place at Punjab home minister Colonel (retd) Shuja Khanza
