Horror inside Pakistani Christian church as two suicide bombers kill eight people and wound 42 others at a Christmas service
- Two suicide bombers have attacked a church in the Pakistani city of Quetta
- Hundreds were attending services at the Christian church ahead of Christmas
- Attackers clashed with security forces, one was killed while one made it inside
- Authorities have said eight people were killed in the blast and 42 were wounded
Two suicide bombers have attacked a church in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing eight people and wounding 42 others.
Sarfaraz Bugti, home minister for the southwestern Baluchistan province, said hundreds of worshippers were attending services at the church ahead of Christmas.
He said the attackers clashed with security forces, with one assailant killed at the entrance while the other made it inside.
This is the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack at a Christian church in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing eight people and wounding 42 others
Hundreds of worshippers were attending the church in the run up to Christmas and a child was seen being carried away by a man as they fled the carnage
Victims of the blast were seen splattered with blood in the wake of the bomb blast, which killed eight people and wounded 42 others
The attacker who made it inside was wounded and unable to reach the main building. His accomplice was killed by security forces
A policeman armed with an automatic weapon took up position outside the church
Baluchistan police chief Moazzam Ansari praised the response of security forces guarding the church, saying the attacker who made it inside was wounded and unable to reach the main building.
He said: 'Otherwise the loss of lives could have been much higher.'
Quetta police chief Abdur Razzaq Cheema said a search is under way for two suspected accomplices who escaped.Wasim Baig, spokesman for Quetta main hospital, confirmed the attack's toll, updating earlier accounts from officials.
No one immediately claimed the attack. Muslim extremists have targeted Pakistan's small Christian minority in the past.
Local television showed ambulances and security patrols racing to the scene while women and children were being led out of the church's main gate.
Soldiers from the Pakistani Army were pictured arriving at the scene of the suicide bomb attack
Local television showed ambulances and security patrols racing to the scene while women and children were being led out of the church's main gate
No one immediately claimed the attack. Muslim extremists have targeted Pakistan's small Christian minority in the past
Hospital officials said two women were among the dead while another five women and two children were among the wounded
Hospital officials said two women were among the dead while another five women and two children were among the wounded.
A young girl in a white dress sobbed as she recounted the attack to television, saying many people around her were wounded.
Aqil Anjum, who was shot in his right arm, told The Associated Press he heard a blast in the middle of the service, followed by heavy gunfire. 'It was chaos. Bullets were hitting people inside the closed hall'.
Dozens of Christians gathered outside a nearby hospital to protest the lack of security.
Pakistan's president and other senior officials condemned the attack.
Victims of the attack were seen being carried from the scene covered in blood. No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast
Pakistan's president and other senior officials condemned the attack
Following the attack at Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta, Pakistan, casualties were taken to hospital. According to reports, 42 people were wounded
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