Lahore stunned by terror

Chris Dhambarage in Lahore, Pakistan

The city of Lahore was stunned by terror when a dozen of masked gunmen armed with rifles and rocket launchers attacked the bus carrying the Sri Lankan national cricket team towards the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore yesterday.

An eye witness said that he was in his office, located near the site of the attack, when he heard the first blast at 8:30 am. A grenade had been thrown at the bus but it landed about 20 feet away from it.

A second grenade was hurled under the bus but the driver managed to manoeuvre the vehicle to ensure the team wasn’t hurt. According to the eye witness, three or four men started firing at the bus shortly after the grenade attack. Eight policemen, accompanying the team for security purposes were killed on the spot during the firing.

The source said that the people stopped their cars and started running around trying to find places to hide. He pointed out that police officials did not arrive at the scene until 9:15 am.

They rushed to the roundabout and cordoned off the area, while ambulances started shifting the injured and the dead to the hospitals.