LAHORE, Pakistan, April 28 -- A bomb exploded Sunday in a passenger bus in northeastern Pakistan, killing at least 60 people and injuring more than 30 others, police and witnesses said. The explosion occurred near the small village of Bhai Pheru, as the bus -- carrying more than 100 worshippers -- was traveling to the city of Pattoki, about 43 miles (70 km) southwest of Lahore, the Associated Press of Pakistan said. The bus had left Lahore and most of the passengers were heading home for the Muslim festival Eid-al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, which begins Monday, the news agency said. Police said many women and children were among the dead and that none of the passengers escaped the explosion unhurt. 'Within seconds the bus caught fire,' a witness said. 'It was like a big ball of fire.' Although police and firefighters reached the scene within minutes, many passengers could not be saved, authorities said. About 30 people with serious injuries were evacuated to hospitals at Lahore and Pattoki, police said. 'Most of the people have been so badly burned that they can't be recognized,' said a police officer, one of the first to arrive on the scene. No group or individual immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Authorities called the incident one of the worst explosions in Pakistan's history and the country's most devastating bus disaster. The attack marks the third bombing in recent weeks in Pakistan's Punjab province. On Friday, an explosion at cinema in the region injured 12 people.
Earlier this month, a charity hospital in Lahore run by former Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan was also bombed, killing 6 patients and injuring more than 30 others. No one claimed responsibility for the hospital bombing, but supporters of Khan, who recently launched a political movement to clean up Pakistani politics, blamed the country's two main political groups aligned with Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and opposition leader Nawaz Sharief.
