A suicide bomber rammed a motorbike into Sargodha Air Force bus on Thursday, killing nine personnel, officials said. Interior Ministry Spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema (Retd) said eight Air Force officers were killed in the blast near a major base and around 40 people wounded. Security officials said one of the dead was a squadron leader.
"It was a suicide attack and the target was the bus which was carrying the Air Force officials," chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP. Police found the bomber's severed head while other pieces of his body were stuck to the exterior of the mangled bus at the site of the attack in central Punjab, witnesses said.
More than 40 people, including six children in the nearby passing school van, were wounded in the bombing, the District Police Officer Waseem Ahmed said. The death toll was feared to rise as some of the injured were in critical condition.
APP ADDS: Doctors from District Headquarters have also been called to assist the medical teams. Security forces have cordoned off the area while bomb disposal squad has collected samples from the site. District Nazim Sargodha and Regional Police Officer (RPO) Hamad Mukhtar Gondal also rushed to the spot.