A FORMER mayor has spoken of how he came close to dying in a bomb blast which killed at least 130 people and wounded hundreds more.

Salas Raza Kiani, 55, was part of a group accompanying former Pakistan president Benazir Bhutto, as she returned to Pakistan after eight years in exile.

What began as a joyous occasion turned into a bloodbath when explosives were detonated near the heavily protected truck carrying Ms Bhutto and her party leaders.

Many of those who died were people who had lined the streets of Karachi to welcome her home on Thursday Mr Kiani left Ms Bhutto's truck to travel in a car behind it, five minutes before her vehicle was targeted.

Speaking from Islamabad, Pakistan Mr Kiani said he was lucky' to be alive and condemned the bombers who killed and injured hundreds of innocent people.

Mr Kiani, of Chester Street, Blackburn, said: "I had been on top of the truck which Ms Bhutto and I had given speeches from earlier that day.

"But my feet had swelled up in the heat and I decided to travel in the car behind the truck. I had moved to the car five minutes before the blast.

"I heard this really huge bang from in front of the truck, it was so loud.

"There were at least three million people in the crowd who welcomed Ms Bhutto. There was blood everywhere and many people were hurt. I don't know how I survived but my first thoughts weren't about myself it was whether Ms Bhutto was OK, she is like my sister.

"She is a very brave woman.

"I feel very, very lucky. I condemn the bombers for their actions, there were nearly three million people in Karachi.

Mrs Kiani's wife, Zohra, 50, watched footage of the blast on television minutes after it happened and she said she was very, very worried' about her husband.

Within half an hour of the blast Mr Kiani's nephew Tariq Mahmood, 40, from Stoke-on-Trent, who had travelled with the father-of-four called Mr Kiani's wife, Zohra to tell her Salas was unhurt.

Mr Kiani has remained in regular contact with Ms Bhutto since she visited Blackburn during his year as Blackburn with Darwen mayor in 1999.

The former Labour councillor, who represented Audley until he left the council in 2002, has been affiliated with the Pakistani People's Party for 20 years.

He flew to Dubai from Heathrow Airport on October 17 where he met Ms Bhutto before flying with her to Karachi.

Mrs Kiani said: "I saw the bomb blasts on the news.

"I knew my husband was with Ms Bhutto on the bus because I had seen him on the news. Then I saw the bomb blast on TV. I panicked."

Mr Kiani is expected to return to the UK next week.