Pakistan mourns 43 killed in attack on Shiite holy day

The bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body as crowds paraded down Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road in the heart of Pakistan's largest city, turning the Shiites' holiest day of Ashura into a bloodbath.

Within minutes, furious mourners went on the rampage, throwing stones at ambulances, torching cars and buildings and reducing shops to charred wreckage. Fire fighters continued to drench the flames after daybreak Tuesday.

The bombing and ensuing riots underscored the extent of the volatility in Pakistan, where militant attacks have killed more than 2,760 people since July 2007 and which Washington has put on the frontline of its war on Al-Qaeda.

"The death toll has risen to 43 -- 41 bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital and two others to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre," police surgeon Jagdish Kumar told AFP.

Three women and three children were among the dead, Kumar added.

Saghir Ahmed, health minister of the southern province of Sindh, of which Karachi is capital, said more than 60 people were wounded and confirmed 40 deaths.