Quetta cycle bomb kills 5, injures 30

The explosion took place in a market on Sirki Road.

QUETTA: A deadly cycle bomb in Quetta killed five people - including a seven-year-old boy - and injured 30 others on Thursday morning.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed the death toll and said the Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle was the target.  It was the fourth blast in Quetta in less than 24 hours.

An improvised explosive device (IED) with a timer was attached to a cycle and parked on the Sirki Road near the FC vehicle. “FC personnel were on a routine-check in the area when the blast took place,” Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said.

Rescue workers and security forces reached the area and cordoned off the site. Some of the injured were taken to Provincial Sandeman Hospital, where emergency was declared.

The Bomb Disposal Squad said around seven kilogrammes of explosive materials were used in the bonb.

The FC vehicle was destroyed while three personnel were also seriously wounded and were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH). “We have received three dead bodies and 27 injured,” doctors at Sandeman Hospital said.

Quetta police chief said a constable, a seven-year old garbage picker and passers-by were among the dead.

The home minister said three injured are in critical condition while others are stable. “Balochistan Home Department had already beefed up the security across the province following increasing threats,” he told the reporters at the Civil Hospital.

He added that the death toll may rise given the critical condition of some injured.

Chaman blast

A motorbike bomb killed three people near Christen Colony in Chaman town.

Police said it was a remote-controlled blast and the explosive material was planted on a motorbike. The injured were passers-by.