Benazir Bhutto killed

Published on Thursday 27 December 2007 13:34

PAKISTANI opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack after a rally today, her party said.

Ms Bhutto had delivered a speech to thousands of supporters in the city of Rawalpindi, part of her campaign for the January 8 parliamentary elections.

Party offical Rehman Malik said: "She has been martyred."

A spokesman for her party said her vehicle was about 50 yards away from blast.

He said: "She had just crossed the gate when we heard a deafening sound. We could feel its impact."

Party supporter Chaudry Mohammed Nazir said that two gunshots rang out when Ms Bhutto's vehicle pulled into the main street and then there was a big blast next to her car.

Police cordoned off the street with white and red tape, and rescue workers rushed to put victims in ambulances as people wailed nearby.

Body parts, pieces of clothing and party banners were scattered on the street.

The clothing of some of the victims was shredded and people put party flags over their bodies. Police caps and shoes littered the area.

It was the second suicide attack aimed at Ms Bhutto in two months.

On October 18, her homecoming parade in the southern city of Karachi after an eight-year exile was also targeted, killing more than 140 people.