A suicide bomber killed at least 72 people and injured more than 320 at a children's park in Lahore, Pakistan. Most of the crowd present at the park were Christians celebrating the Easter.
The suicide bomber blew himself up in the parking lot of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, which is frequented by Christians in the city, and the Easter Sunday evening was particularly crowded with many women and children present at the park.
A Taliban-linked faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack, and said that they purposefully wanted to target the Christian festival of Easter.
"Members of the Christian community who were celebrating Easter today were our prime target," Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told NBC News from an undisclosed location.
Lahore Police Chief Haider Ashraf said that mostly women and children were killed in the blast. "He chose a soft target and that's why went towards women and children in the park," Ashraf said.
The blast occurred near the site where many had lined up to buy tickets for a train ride.
The Pakistani Army cordoned off the surrounding area after the attacks.
"I was standing there near the seesaw when the blast occurred," an eyewitness, Mohammad Arshad told Reuters. "As we rushed over here we saw a pool of blood and people [both dead and injured] lying here and there."
Footage of the scene showed women and children crying, and many were loaded into private vehicles to hospitals.
"When the blast occurred, the flames were so high they reached above the trees and I saw bodies flying in the air," Hasan Imran, another eyewitness said.
Security officials said they had found the suicide bomber's body, who was carrying over 30 pounds of explosives.
Punjab Chief Minister Shabaz Sharif ordered closing of all public parts and three days of mourning in the province in the province.
The attack was the deadliest incident in Pakistan since the December 2014 killings of children at an army-run school, which left over 140 dead.
The US government strongly condemned the attacks, and called it a "cowardly act."
"We send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed, just as our thoughts and prayers are with the many injured in the explosion," a statement from Washington said.
"The United States stands with the people and government of Pakistan at this difficult hour. We will continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region, as together we will be unyielding in our efforts to root out the scourge of terrorism."
A majority of population in Pakistan is Muslim, with only 1.59 percent Christians (2.8 million).
