Bhutto killed in rally blast
Thursday, 27 Dec 2007 17:32
Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in October after exile
Benazir Bhutto has been killed after a suicide blast at a political rally in Rawalpindi.
The former prime minister of Pakistan was seemingly the target of the explosion, which is reported to have left about 20 people dead.
Police confirmed reports from the scene in Rawalpindi that Ms Bhutto – who returned to Pakistan after years in exile two months ago – was shot in the chest and neck as she got into her car before the gunman blew himself up.
It was initially thought that Ms Bhutto was safe but Pakistan TV then reported that the 53-year-old had been rushed to hospital and was undergoing an emergency operation.
At about 13:20 GMT reports from a number of news agencies confirmed the death of the two-time Pakistani premier.
A spokesman for the former leader said that her car had only just left the gate from a park where she had been delivering an election rally when the explosion occurred.
Farhatullah Babar told BBC News 24 by phone from the scene that the "huge explosion" caused a "deafening blast".
A rally celebrating Ms Bhutto's return to Pakistan in Karachi in October had also been targeted by bombers with around 140 deaths as a result.
Ms Bhutto was thought to have been a possible candidate for prime minister under president Pervez Musharraf after the two former rivals came to a political agreement for future control of the country.
Witnesses suggest that between 15 and 20 dead bodies were seen by the road following today's blast.