Fatal blast hits Pakistan Shias

At least 16 people have been killed and some 20 wounded in a bomb attack on a Shia religious procession in the central Pakistani city of Khanpur. Police initially thought the blast had been caused by an electrical fault, but later confirmed it was a bomb. The attack targeted Shias marking the festival of Arbain, one of the main holy days of the Shia calendar. There have been a number of attacks targeting the minority Shia community, carried out by Sunni militants. The remote-controlled bomb was planted near an electric pole, Sohail Chattha, the area's police chief, told Reuters news agency. He said it was set off as the procession approached. "There was a loud explosion a few yards from the procession and we all scrambled to get away," Imran Iqbal, who was in the procession, told Reuters. "Debris was everywhere, and a cloud of dust engulfed us. Many people died on the spot."