WRAP 29 killed and 150 wounded in attack on Shiites in religious procession
(2 Mar 2004) 1. Wide shot black smoke billowing from shops and houses in Quetta, zoom in to smoke 2. Rescue workers and soldiers on street 3. Various of shops burning 4. Fireman trying to put out fire 5. Various soldiers and rescue workers and burning shops and houses 6. Fire engine driving at scene 7. Various of smoke and burning buildings 8. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) Voxpop (name unknown): "Government knows everything. Look, see (pointing) - police are firing on us. They are firing on us." 9. People walking on street 10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Policeman (name unknown): "This situation in which we are is....ambulances went to the command military hospital as well as the field hospital but we don''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t know exactly what, but we are trying to control the situation. Unfortunately, all precaution measures were taken, but suddenly they started firing on the procession and then one or two explosions and panic started." 11. Exterior hospital 12. Various injured people in hospital 13. Boy covered in blood on bed 14. SOUNDBITE: (Urdu) Injured man (name unknown): "There were heavy explosions going on, we are inside in the car and there was heavy fighting going on. Q: How was the security arrangements? Everybody ran away, there was no security people there." 15. Mid shot injured man on hospital bed, zoom in 16. Troops on street 17. Various soldiers on street STORYLINE: Armed men opened fire on Shiite Muslim worshippers during a religious procession in a city in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 29 people and wounding more than 150 others, authorities told The Associated Press. The city mayor declared an immediate curfew. Officials reported an explosion and gunfire in a congested area of Quetta, the main city in southwest Baluchistan province, as a procession of hundreds of Shiite Muslims marking the Muharram holiday passed by. Soon after, a Sunni Muslim mosque, a television network office and several shop were set afire as Shiites rioted in parts of the city and an exchange of gunfire took place near the scene of the initial attack, police said. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told AP in a phone interview from the capital, Islamabad, that 17 people were dead, and dozens more injured. Samim Durrani, medical superintendent at the central government hospital in Quetta, said it had received 10 dead and 33 injured, some in critical condition. Other hospitals in the city also received casualties. No arrests have been made. The violence occurred hours after a series of coordinated blasts in Iraq struck major Shiite Muslim shrines in Karbala and Baghdad, killing scores of religious pilgrims. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
