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Attack on Pak Christian hospital kills five, injures 23

Five people, including a suicide attacker, were killed and 23 injured when suspected Islamic militants carried out a grenade attack at a Christian missionary hospital in Taxila near Islamabad on Friday morning.

Police quoting eyewitnesses said three armed men forced their way into the hospital compound and hurled two to three grenades killing four Pakistani nurses working at the hospital.

One of the attackers apparently with explosives strapped to his body blew himself up, while the other two managed to escape, the daily News reported.

The condition of two of the injured was stated to be critical, it said quoting eyewitnesses and hospital officials.

"The nurses were coming out of the hospital when someone threw explosives," said Clement Bakshi, an accounts officer.

According to Dr Ashk Nawaz, managing director of the Taxila hospital, one of the three attackers stood guard near the hospital while two armed militants entered the compound and lobbed the grenades. Two grenades exploded, while one failed.

The office manager of the hospital said besides hurling the grenades, the assailants also fired at security guards.

The attack, the second against Christian or western interests this week, was sharply condemned by the government, which described it as a 'dastardly act' aimed at driving a wedge between the Muslims and Christians in the country.

Agencies

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