At Least sixteen people were killed on Sunday as a blast hit their religious procession in central Pakistan.

map of Punjab province with Rahimyar district in the south

At Least sixteen people were killed on Sunday as a blast hit their religious procession in central Pakistan.

“The death toll has risen to 16, another 20 people have been injured," Mohammad Mushtaq, a senior government official, told the private Dunya TV channel.
The injured have been taken to local hospitals, he added.
"We are trying to calm the situation," Mushtaq said.

The reasons of the blast were conflicting, with police in Punjab province said it may have been a bomb or as a result of an electrical explosion.
"We have evidences which shows that it was a bomb blast. We are also checking whether a suicide bomber was involved or not”, Mushtaq added.

Sunday's explosion in Rahimyar Khan district came as Muslims were marking Imam Hussein’s Arbaeen.

The Arbaeen marks the passage of 40 days on the slaughter of Imam Hussein (pbuh), his friends and family, and the capture of Imam Ali Bin Hussein, Sayyeda Zainab as well as the wives and children of the martyrs.