Bomb Explodes in Pakistani Market; 5 Killed, 18 Injured

A bomb exploded Saturday in a congested market in the old quarter of Lahore in northern Pakistan, killing five people and injuring 18 others, police said.

Two children were among those killed, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.

Local police said the motive for the bombing was not known, and no one had claimed responsibility. The blast in the capital of Punjab province badly damaged three shops and shattered the windows of several stores.

The bomb was rigged to a bicycle that was left outside a small shop, police said.

“It is a bomb explosion, but we are investigating the nature of the explosive, which took place outside a bicycle repair shop,” a police officer said by telephone.

Most of the casualties were passersby who were shoppers, the news agency said.

The report said that traffic congestion and narrow roads in the area prevented ambulances from reaching the site and that victims had to be carried on makeshift stretchers to the main road before they could be taken to hospitals.

According to the news report, intelligence officials said that similar bombs were planted earlier this year in two other cities in eastern Punjab province.