Pre-teen boys killed in Hazarganji blast

The boys were carrying explosive materials which went off.

QUETTA:

Two young boys were killed in an explosion in Hazarganji area in the outskirts of Quetta, on Monday morning.

Local police officer Manzoor Tarin told The Express Tribune that the two boys were carrying explosive materials which went off and resulted in their instant death.

“Both, aged 11 to 12 years, received multiple splinter wounds in the explosion. It seems as if one of the boys was carrying explosive materials which exploded in a deserted area,” he added.

Police and security personnel rushed to the spot soon after the blast and cordoned off the area. The deceased were shifted to Bolan medical complex where they have been identified as Razauddin Marri and Hameed Khan Marri.

“The blast took place in close proximity to the victims as one of the boys was blown up while the other was seriously injured,” said police surgeon Dr Baqar Shah. Around two to three kilogrammes of explosive material was used in the explosion, officials of the Bomb Disposal Squad later confirmed.

“The boys worked as garbage collectors near the fruit market in Hazarganji. It appears as if someone appeared to have handed them a parcel, filled with explosive material and asked them to place it in Hazarganji,” a senior official told The Express Tribune.

Incidents of targeted killings and bomb blasts have rapidly increased in recent days in Balochistan, including the killing of 18 Shiite pilgrims as well as Aslam Raisani’s nephew who died in a blast.

“Security has been beefed up in and around Quetta and dozens of suspects have been rounded up,” said Nazir Kurd, DIG Investigations.





Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2011.