Pakistan Karachi bomb blast kills dozens

The blast in the mainly Shia Muslim area of Abbas Town destroyed several buildings and set others on fire. Some reports spoke of a second explosion. No group has yet said it planted the bomb, which went off near a mosque as worshippers left evening prayers. Pakistan's Shia minority are the target of frequent sectarian attacks from Sunni militant groups. The explosion sent a huge column of smoke into the sky above Karachi and caused a power cut in part of the city. Police are investigating whether it was a suicide attack. Rescuers have been struggling to reach people trapped under the rubble. Residents have been using car headlights to help the search for survivors, local media reports said. Around 150 people were wounded by the explosion, officials said. "I was watching television when I heard an explosion and my flat was badly shaken," Karachi resident Mariam Bibi told Reuters news agency. "I saw people burning to death and crying with pain. I saw children lying in pools of their own blood and women running around shouting for their children and loved ones." she added. Rescue work was delayed as some residents fired guns into the air in anger at the carnage, reports say.