A suicide attack targeting Easter celebrations killed at least 65 persons and injured some 300 others when a bomber blew himself up in a crowded park in Lahore, Pakistan, on Sunday evening, reports from the area said. Salman Rafiq, health minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province, put the death toll at not less than 63 while confirming that about 300 others were injured in the attack.

According to police, the bomber detonated his explosive-laden vest in a crowded area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, located in a northern district of Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city and the regional capital of Punjab province.

The injured, many of whom are in critical condition, included several women and children.

Footage broadcast on local television channels showed rescue workers and concerned citizens loading the dead and injured onto ambulances.

The government, for its part, has declared a state of emergency at the city’s hospitals while doctors predict a dramatic rise in the current death toll.

The army, meanwhile, has been called up to assist in first-aid and rescue efforts.

Pieces of human flesh and blood-soaked clothing could be seen scattered around the blast site.

TV footage showed several injured people lying on the ground and crying for help.

No group has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s bombing – an unusual occurrence in an otherwise peaceful part of the country.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned the attack, vowing to continue Pakistan’s war on terrorism “despite these cowardly acts.”

•Photo by Mohsin Raza/Reuters shows rescue workers moving a body from the blast site . . . Sunday evening in Lahore, Pakistan.

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