SOFA BOMB KILLS 6, INJURES 20 AT PAKISTAN HOSPITAL.

Byline: Associated Press 

A bomb tucked under a sofa exploded in a crowded hospital waiting room Sunday, killing six people and injuring at least 20 others. The dead included a 12-year-old boy.

Imran Khan, a popular former cricket star who runs the hospital in central Pakistan, said the attack was intended to discourage him from entering politics.

``This was meant to frighten us, but we will fight on,'' Khan told reporters amid the wreckage at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Hospital in Lahore. ``This kind of action cannot stop us.''

Between 100 and 150 patients were in the waiting room of the chemotherapy ward's outpatient clinic when the bomb blew up, a hospital spokeswoman said.

``There was blood everywhere,'' said Kashif Chaudhry, who works in the hospital's marketing department. ``There were two bodies lying right in front of me. Furniture was blasted in all directions, and windows and doors were destroyed.''

Three people, including the boy, were burned to death in a fire started by the blast. Three others died later from their injuries, said Khan's spokesman Mubashir Ahmed.

At least 10 people were critically injured, and another 10 were hurt less seriously, Ahmed said.

The wounded, including several hospital staff members, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of burns and other injuries.

The blast caused millions of dollars in damage to the chemotherapy ward, the outpatient department, a reception area and parts of the cafeteria, a hospital spokesperson said.

The explosion was so powerful it blew out the glass from several parked cars in the hospital's parking lot, more than 400 yards away, Chaudhry said.

It was unclear who planted the bomb. Khan, an outspoken critic of Pakistan's political parties, has upset a growing number of opponents.

The attack follows growing rumors that Khan, the former captain of Pakistan's national cricket team, may form his own political party.