20 killed in Pakistan car bomb attack

At least 20 people have been killed and more than 120 injured in a car bomb attack at a gas station in Faisalabad.

The bomb caused several gas cylinders at the station to explode, destroying cars and buildings. Police said that the number of dead could rise as many of the injured were in a critical condition.

Heavy diggers and cranes have been brought in because there are believed to be survivors still trapped in the debris.

Militants regularly bomb targets across Pakistan, but this is the first bombing in Faisalabad in recent years. The Pakistani Taliban said they carried out the attack, saying it was to avenge the death in custody of one of their members.

Blast

Compressed natural gas is a popular fuel in Pakistan and there were thought to be many vehicles at the gas station when the car bomb exploded.

"It was not a suicide attack," Faisalabad city commissioner Tahir Husain said. "The bomb exploded near the gas cylinders that triggered a bigger blast."

The blast was so large that it reduced the station to a heap of twisted metal and rubble. A security guard at the nearby office of Pakistan International Airlines said: "The earth moved as in an earthquake, and there was thick smoke all around."

There are a number of sensitive locations in the area such as government offices, a police station and the offices of Pakistan's ISI spy agency.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has expressed his sorrow over the deaths.