Truck bomb blast misses President

A huge bomb hidden in a pick-up truck exploded today just after a motorcade carrying Pakistan’s president passed, killing at least seven people and shattering nearby buildings.

The president was unhurt, according to Abdur Rauf Chaudry, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry.

The attack occurred at about 1.45pm (8.45am Irish time) in Rawalpindi, a bustling city just outside the capital, Islamabad.

Witnesses said they saw body parts and some reported hearing two separate explosions.

The blast occurred not far from the spot where would-be assassins detonated a huge bomb on December 14 in a failed attempt to kill the president, General Pervez Musharraf.

High-tech jamming devices in the president’s motorcade apparently delayed the detonation long enough for him to pass by safely.