Twin blasts hit market in Pakistan

At least 45 people have been killed and over 150 injured after two suicide bombers on motorcycles hit a market in Parachinar, capital of the tribal Kurram area in Northwest Pakistan, officials said. Reuters news agency reported that Friday’s explosions targeted two Shiite mosques in the town, which is near the Afghanistan border. Police spokesman Fazal Naeem Khan said the bombs went off in two places in the bazaar or market as people were doing their evening shopping, some grabbing last-minute items to break their daily fast. He said explosives experts are still examining the site. The second bomb detonated about four minutes after the first, about 400 yards (365 meters) away from the initial blast, government official Javed Ali said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Security forces have reached the site of the blasts and cordoned off the area, according to Dawn news agency. Meanwhile, local TV station Geo News reports that the injured were taken to the Agency Headquarters Hospital, where some of them were in critical condition. Parachinar itself is home to a significant Shiite community which has been previously targeted by Sunni fighters. Both explosions took place before sunset just as people flocked to the market area to buy food for their evening meals after a day of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. "A lot of people usually throng roadside markets in Parachinar before sunset for Iftar (dinner) shopping," said tribesman Haider Ali. "Hundreds of people were present during the blasts and that's why the death toll was high."