At least one person was killed and more than 60 people were injured after a truck rammed into an Easter Day procession near Mariamabad in Wazirabad district of Pakistan’s Punjab province early on April 5.
The incident occurred around 1 am after about 200 Christians gathered for a midnight Easter vigil marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Local people initially apprehended the driver and a passenger. In chaotic scenes participants in the procession overturned the truck to release injured people under it. The driver, identified as Muhammad Bilal, later fled the scene, police said. The vehicle was impounded and the passenger was taken into custody. Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) to initiate the criminal investigation.
The overturned truck that plowed into the Easter procession at Mariamabad. [Image credit: UCA news]
Around 15 to 20 of the most seriously injured were taken to Gujranwala Medical College Hospital, about 60 miles away, where one man, Ifran Masih, a brick kiln laborer, later died from injuries, and several others remain hospitalized. More than 40 others were treated at the scene.
Authorities have not decided whether the incident was deliberate or caused by negligence.
“Eyewitnesses confirmed that the incident was not accidental but a premeditated and well-planned terrorist attack,” a Barnabas contact reported.
“Almost everyone having candles in hands,” our contact reported, “Although the road ahead was clear, the truck deliberately turned right and intentionally rammed into the procession with high speed to crush Christian worshippers.”
The ambulance services arrived one hour later.
Faisal Masih, a man in his mid-20s who took part in the procession, lamented the delayed response by the authorities.
“The police station is merely 10–15 minutes away, yet they arrived almost an hour later,” he said. “Instead of focusing on the injured, they were concerned about the road being blocked. Even the FIR does not mention that we were holding a sunrise procession.”
Police claimed they were not informed in advance about the procession. The local church organizing committee asserted that they had followed correct reporting procedures, informing the police of the procession’s time and route. They said police had agreed to provide security on the day which never materialized.
“It is an unfortunate tragedy that those who gathered to celebrate the Resurrection are now mourning the loss of a loved one,” said Waqas Saroya, a Christian youth spokesman. “There appears to be a contradiction between the police and community accounts, but clearly, people were injured as a result of someone’s negligence.”
Mariamabad regularly stages Christian festivals. Believers in processions, as they are moving in large numbers, are seen as easy targets for extremists. A Christian man was shot dead while on his way to an annual festival in Mariamabad in September 2025.
How You Can Pray
Pray that the Lord will abundantly comfort the grieving family of Ifran Masih and that all those injured in the incident will recover. Ask that essential support will be provided to all those affected. Pray that the police investigation will be thorough and the perpetrator will be called to account. Pray that the bold testimony of our brothers and sisters in celebrating publicly our Lord’s conquest over death will have a profound impact on both the authorities and the general population in Pakistan and advance the gospel message.
