Three killed in Karachi blasts

Two bombs went off in a Shia-dominated area of the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi today, killing at least three persons and injuring about two dozen more, witnesses and rescue officials said.
The first blast went off near an imambargah (Shia prayer hall) in Abbas Town at about 7 pm as people were leaving after prayers, witnesses said.
The second explosion, which was less powerful, went off in the same area within ten minutes. Three persons were killed by the blasts, hospital officials told the media.
At least two dozen people, including women and children, were injured. Ambulances rushed the wounded to nearby hospitals.

The nature of the blasts could not immediately be ascertained. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has claimed a string of recent attacks on Shias in other parts of Pakistan, including the southwestern city of Quetta.

Some reports said the first blast was caused by a bomb hidden in a motorcycle that was parked outside the imambargah.
The Abbas Town area has a sizeable Shia population.
The blasts caused a power outage and triggered panic in the area.
Residents of Karachi said the first blast was heard from 10 km away.
The explosions blew out the windows of nearby buildings and damaged about 20 shops.

Footage on television showed a plume of black plume of smoke rising into the sky.
Abbas Town has been the target of terrorist attacks in the past too.
On November 18, three persons were killed and more than 20 injured when a bomb went off outside an imambargah in the area.