Karachi, Pakistan -- The bombing of a Shiite shrine that killed 30 worshippers in southwestern Pakistan over the weekend drew condemnation from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The explosion late Saturday carved out a 60-centimeter (2-foot-deep) crater near the shrine 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of the capital, Islamabad that caters to the faithful of Pakistan's minority Shiite Muslim sect, which many mainstream Sunnis regard as heretical.
Annan condemned the attack "in the strongest terms" and reiterated "that no cause can justify terrorist attacks anywhere," U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said in New York.
"The secretary-general calls for those responsible to be brought to justice and appeals for calm and restraint in the face of this brazen and cowardly act," Eckhard said.
A time bomb, packed with about 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of explosive, went off among pilgrims as they took supper in an open area about 150 meters (500 feet) from the shrine.
The attack added to security fears in restive Baluchistan province, hit last week by fighting between government forces and renegade tribesmen.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack which Baluchistan's Home Minister Shoaib Nausherwani said killed 30 people and wounded 20 others. Other estimates put the number of dead at 44.
On Sunday, frightened pilgrims crammed into buses leaving the remote village as relatives sifted bloodied caps and shoes for signs of loved ones. Others congregated at a hospital in a nearby town where most of the bodies were collected during the day.
The weekend blast prompted anger and disbelief among the thousands who gather for an annual festival that bridges sectarian and religious divides.
Most of them had traveled from other regions of Baluchistan or neighboring Sindh province to mark the death anniversary of the 19th century Shiite saint whose tomb is inside the shrine. Up to 20,000 people had arrived over the weekend for the three-day event at Fatehpur, an arid village of about 50 mud brick homes.
Pakistan, an Islamic nation, has a history of violence between extremists of the majority Sunni and minority Shiite sects. It has also been plagued with terrorist attacks by militants angered by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's support of the U.S.-led war against al-Qaida and the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.
About 35,000 supporters of a religious alliance rallied in this southern Pakistani city on Sunday chanting "Death to Musharraf, death to America."