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Bomb blast kills 9 at Pakistan airport
July 22, 1996
Web posted at: 8:45 a.m. EDT (1245 GMT)LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- A powerful bomb exploded Monday afternoon near a crowded snack bar in the main terminal of Lahore's international airport, killing at least nine people and injuring more than a dozen.
Walls of the terminal were blackened and luggage was strewn amid debris from the blast. At least four ticket booths were heavily damaged. A column of black smoke could be seen rising from the terminal. Investigators closed the airport.
The bomb was hidden in a briefcase placed under a concrete bench, officials said, and had slipped through airport security. (153K AIFF or WAV sound) No group had claimed responsibility and police would not speculate about who might have planted the bomb.
It blew up as Pakistan International Airlines Flight 315 was leaving for the southern port city of Karachi, and police said it may have been intended for that plane.
Latest in a series of bombings
Lahore is the capital of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province. Punjab has been rocked by a series of bombings of buses and public buildings in recent months.
Two large explosions in late April and early May killed 52 people and injured dozens more. Another bomb in April exploded in former cricket star Imran Khan's charity cancer hospital in Lahore, killing six people.
Last month, three separate bomb explosions hit the central city of Gujranwala, killing at least eight people. The largest of the bombs exploded on a commuter bus arriving from Lahore.
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has accused India of orchestrating the bombings in an attempt to destabilize Punjab. India denies the charge.
Pakistan was formed from Islamic majority areas of India and gained self-government after British withdrew from the area in 1947. Pakistan and India have fought three wars since. Each accuses the other of acts of terrorism, and each denies it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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