Seven die as explosion hits passenger train

Islamabad: A rail track bomb explosion on Friday derailed a passenger train killing seven people in central Pakistan while two suspected terrorists cornered by police blew themselves up in Karachi.

Railway officials said two carriages of the train went off the rails and overturned as a result of the bomb explosion near Bagawalnagar in Punjab province.

Around a dozen passengers on the train travelling from Bahawalpur to Bahawalnagar were also injured.

General Manager of Railways Nasir Zaidi said two relief trains were sent to the site and rail traffic on the damaged track would be restored soon after repairs.

In Karachi two suspected terrorists blew themselves up after a firelight with police from their hideout in Baldia town neighbourhood in Karachi, the city police said.

Senior police officers Wasim Ahmad told the media the two men belonged to a banned extremist outfit.

Police trapped them in the house after being informed of their presence there by a suspect arrested earlier in the city.

The surrounded men threw six hand grenades and fought police before blowing themselves up, Ahmad said, adding that they were wanted by police for carrying out some terrorist attacks in Karachi last year. He said their elimination had saved the port city from possible suicide attacks.

Body found

Police sources said they had also found the body of kidnapped businessman Shaukat Afridi from the debris of hideouts of the two terrorists.

Afridi, supplied fuel to Nato forces in Afghanistan, was kidnapped in May in Karachi and hefty ransom had been demanded for his release, the sources said.

The militants were believed to be part of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an extremist group linked to Al Qaida, and police said a tip from a captured member of the group led security forces to the house.

Pakistan is battling a wave of violence by extremists in its cities and in the lawless border area with Afghanistan in the northwest, where Taliban and Al Qaida fighters have established bases.