Police say blast outside bus terminal in central Pakistan kills 9, wounds 48

MULTAN, Pakistan – A police official says a blast outside of a bus terminal in central Pakistan has killed at least nine people and wounded 48.

Khalid Rauf says several of the wounded from the explosion Sunday night in the city of Multan are in critical condition. He blamed the blast on a remote-controlled bomb. Another government official, Zahid Saleem, said it appeared to be a suicide attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Multan lies in a region dotted with thousands of religious seminaries, with several belonging to local al-Qaida linked militant outfits.

Pakistan has long been fighting militants who want to overthrow the government to install their own harsh brand of Islamic law. Tens of thousands have been killed in more than a decade of fighting.