A man mourns the death of a relative who was killed in a suicide blast at the tomb of Sufi saint Syed Usman Marwandi, also known as the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine, on Thursday evening in Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan's southern Sindh province, February 17, 2017. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
The current wave of terrorism sweeping the country took a turn for the worse on Thursday when a suspected woman suicide attacker set off explosives at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, leaving at least 80 devotees dead, including children, and over 250 injured.
Images of the shrine showed blood smeared on the white floor, with debris and shoes scattered around.
At 3:30am the shrine's caretaker stood among the carnage and defiantly rang its bell, a daily ritual that he vowed to continue, telling AFP he will "not bow down to terrorists".
Slippers of devotees lie on the floor as soldiers cordon off shrine of 13th century Muslim Sufi Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar following the blast. ─AFP
Pakistani para-military soldiers stand alert at the shrine of 13th century Muslim Sufi Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, after a bomb blew up in the town of Sehwan.─AFP
Pakistani security officials inspect the blood-stained floor a day after a bomb attack hit the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan. ─AFP
Pakistani devotees react as they gather outside the closed gate of the shrine of 13th century Muslim Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar a day after a bomb blast. ─AFP
Slippers and a baby feeder of blast victims lie on the ground at the 13th century Muslim Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. — AFP