Suicide bomber kills at least 41 at Pakistan park; mayhem follows

KARACHI, Pakistan -- A suicide attacker detonated a bomb during an outdoor Sunni Muslim prayer service Tuesday, killing at least 41 people and wounding dozens. In the mayhem that followed, angry mobs torched cars and hurled rocks at police, who fired warning shots in the air.

The attacker blew himself up near leaders of the Sunni Tehrik religious group, which helped organize the prayer service at a downtown Karachi park, police chief Niaz Siddiqui said.

The religious leaders were sitting near a stage erected in front of the thousands of Sunni Muslims marking the birth of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Several leaders were killed.

The bomber used about 11 pounds of explosives that were obtained locally "and we have collected his body parts," Siddiqui said.

Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said that at least 40 people were killed. Officials at three Karachi hospitals later said they received 41 bodies.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf condemned the attack and ordered increased security at religious sites, adding that the culprits "will not go unpunished," according to a statement issued on Pakistan's state-run news agency.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the bombing, one of the deadliest ever in Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism. Attacks in the past have been linked to simmering Shiite-Sunni Muslim tensions, and most have been blamed on outlawed extremist groups.

Mayhem erupted after the explosion. Scores of men wearing white, blood-splattered robes clambered onto the stage to assist victims, some apparently dead and others wounded and waving their arms for help.

"I saw body parts everywhere," Mohammed Asif said. "I saw people collecting body parts and putting them into ambulances."

Crowds of people ran frantically in different directions, many aiding and carrying the wounded to dozens of ambulances. Some waved green flags bearing Quranic scripture. Others wept openly.

Police officers fired into the air to disperse crowds that massed at the scene.

Soon after the bombing, violence erupted in nearby areas as groups of youths burned a gas station, buses and several cars. Another mob pelted security forces with stones after the blast.

Karachi has been the scene of several bombings and other attacks since Pakistan became a key U.S. ally after the Sept. 11 attacks.