Gunmen attack, kill at least 40 traveling on bus in Karachi

At least 40 people were killed when gunmen in Pakistan attacked an Ismaili bus traveling in Karachi Wednesday.

CNN reported that the bus carrying members of the religious minority in southern Pakistan was attacked by gunmen on motorbikes who had pulled up alongside the vehicle. At least 40 people were killed and more than a dozen more have been injured. The youngest casualty was a 16-year-old.

The pink bus had multiple bullet holes and blood that saturated the seats and dripped from its doors when it pulled up to a hospital.

"This is the first such incident of its kind towards the Ismaili community," said Zohra Yusuf, the chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. "Nothing on this scale has ever been seen before."

BBC News noted that Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack and said he was saddened by it. He has called for a full investigation to be conducted.

Ismailis are a minority Shi'ite Muslim sect. The majority in Pakistan are Sunni Muslims.

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