Lahore bombing: Outpouring of grief and solidarity
World leaders, politicians and celebrities react to suicide attack targeting Christian minority in which 70 were killed.
World leaders, politicians and celebrities have offered their sympathy to the victims of a suicide attack in Lahore which killed at least 70 people.
The bombing, which also wounded hundreds, was carried out at a busy park attended by families on the evening of Easter Sunday.
Claimed by a breakaway Taliban faction, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, the attack deliberately targeted members of Pakistan’s Christian minority who gathered for the holiday.
The suicide bomber detonated himself metres away from the children’s rides at the Gulshan-i-Iqbal park, or Garden of Iqbal, of Allama Iqbal Town.
Most of the victims were women and children, and included both Christians and Muslims.
Here are some reactions:
Pope Francis
The Catholic leader addressed thousands in St Peter’s Square on Easter Monday. He called the attack a “vile and senseless crime.
“I appeal to civil authorities and all sectors of that nation to make every effort to restore security and serenity to the population, and in particular to the most vulnerable religious minorities,” he said.