The death toll in a twin suicide bombing of an army patrol here yesterday rose to 59 today even as Pakistani law enforcement agencies rounded up some 75 suspects during an overnight crackdown.
The suicide bombers targeted army vehicles in the heavily guarded cantonment yesterday afternoon.
The dead included 10 soldiers. Officials said the death toll rose after several persons succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
Over 130 people were injured in the twin suicide attacks.
Officials said seven bodies of persons killed in the attack within the cantonment were yet to be identified.
The dead soldiers were laid to rest in their native villages.
Hours after the suicide bombings, a series of six explosions occurred in the residential areas of Iqbal Town and Samnabad.
The blasts were of low intensity and only three persons sustained minor injuries.
Officials said some 75 suspects were taken into custody by law enforcement agencies during overnight sweeps in Lahore and the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
The late night blasts terrorised residents of Lahore, who were already on edge following the suicide attacks in the cantonment.
Markets in Lahore remained closed today to protest yesterday's bombings. Traffic on the roads was thin as people preferred to remain indoors followings reports that a few explosives-laden vehicles had entered the city.
Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah said the bombers involved in yesterday's suicide attacks were aged between 17 and 20 years. The head of one bomber was found intact.
"His features show that he was from the tribal areas of the country," Sanaullah said.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and a hitherto unheard of group called the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Almi both claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks.
Police officials said investigators had collected evidence at the blast sites and seized footage of closed circuit TV cameras.
"We have taken a number of suspects into custody in connection with the Lahore blasts," city police chief Pervez Rathore told PTI.
Rathore did not rule out the involvement of banned religious groups in the attacks. He said, "We are monitoring the activities of the operatives of these outfits."
