Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Bomb Blast Kills 9 in Eastern Pakistan

By VOA News
13 July 2009

Officials in Pakistan say a cache of explosives has detonated at a home in central Punjab province, killing at least nine people, including seven children.

Locals in the Mian Channu area said the blast wounded at least 70 people and flattened more than 20 neighboring homes. Some people were buried in the rubble.

While it is unclear what sparked the explosion, authorities blamed the scale of the blast on a large cache of explosives.

The materials were being stored at the home of a Muslim cleric who provides religious education to children. He also has been accused of recruiting fighters for a banned militant group.

Local police searching through the debris say they also found rocket launchers and several jackets used by suicide bombers.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.