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Bangladesh: ten die in church bombing


At least ten people died in a bomb blast which rocked a Catholic church in Bangladesh on Sunday. Several more are critically ill in hospital. The explosion took place during Mass in the village of Baniarchar, 100km south of the capital, Dhaka. No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, although Home Minister Mohammad Nasim blamed 'anti-liberation fanatic forces', a term used for Islamic fundamentalists. A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she has ordered an investigation into the incident. Security round St Mary's Cathedral in the capital Dhaka has also reportedly been tightened. The Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Bangladesh, Michael Rosario, described the attack as barbaric. He said they had not received any threats and there was no report of any communal tension in the area. Christians account for about one per cent of Bangladesh's 130 million people, most of whom are Muslim. Baniarchar has a large number of Christian residents. But reports say violence against them is rare.

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