At least 70 people killed in Pakistan blast

A breakaway faction of the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the explosion in Lahore that killed at least 70 people and wounded hundreds more, according to a government official.

A suicide bomber targeted Christians near a park filled with families celebrating Easter, a spokesman for the militant group told the Associated Press. The explosion was close to several children's rides in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal park.

He warned of more attacks to come.

At least 300 were wounded in addition to the 65 killed, and Pakistani officials said the death toll could climb.

Meanwhile, Lahore residents crowded hospitals to donate blood for victims of the blast. A ridesharing company, Careem, offered free rides to passengers donating blood at local hospitals.

Sunday's bombing struck in the Punjab province where Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was born and now serves as his political base. The region has long been more peaceful than other parts of Pakistan, which features constant skirmishes along its borders with Afghanistan and India. Critics have accused Nawaz of tolerating attacks in other parts of the country in exchange for keeping his province safe, a charge he strongly denies.

In recent years, Punjab has increasingly become a target.

In February 2015, five people were killed when a suicide bomber aligned with a Taliban splinter groups attacked a police complex in Lahore. The next month, attackers targeted two Christian churches in Lahore, killing more than a dozen, wounding 70 others and instigating protests from religious minorities who felt they were not being protected by the nation's government. And in August, a provincial minister and 16 others were killed when suicide bombers destroyed the  minister's home, where he was holding meetings.

Pakistani police commandos stand guard at the suicide

Pakistani police commandos stand guard at the suicide blast site in Lahore on March 28, 2016. (Photo: FAROOQ NAEEM, AFP/Getty Images)

Sharif expressed grief and shock over the bombing and declared three days of mourning starting Monday, according to The International News, a Karachi-based newspaper. The prime minister on Sunday held a meeting to assess the security situation in Lahore, the government said.

Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, also convened an emergency meeting of the country's intelligence agencies to begin to track down those responsible for the attacks, said army spokesman Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa.

In a statement, the Vatican said the attack "casts a shadow of sadness and anguish on the feast of the Easter. Once again cowardly, murderous hatred rages on the most defenseless."