Quetta blast: One dead, 16 injured in hand grenade attack
The dead and injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital; two people critically injured
QUETTA:
A man was killed and 16 others were wounded when unknown assailants hurled a hand grenade on a hotel on Prince Road, Quetta on Monday.
Nimat Kada, a hotel famous for breakfast in Quetta, was packed with people having breakfast at 11:00am when the grenade exploded inside the hotel.
Rescue workers and personnel of law enforcing agencies rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. Further, the dead and injured have been transported to the Provincial Sandeman Hospital Quetta.
“A man died, while 16 others [have been] wounded. Two [of the] injured are in critical condition,” Capital City Police Officer Abdul Razzaq Cheema told The Express Tribune.
“It was a Russian-made hand grenade, and a militant group could be responsible for the attack,” Cheema added.
The window panels of the hotels and restaurants nearby were shattered due to the impact of the blast, which also resulted in a stampede near the hotel after the explosion.
Quetta police chief said security in the city had already been increased due to the upcoming death anniversary of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed along with more than 30 comrades in a military operation near Kohlu and Dera Bugti on August 26th, 2006.
The police chief further said that militants intensify their attacks during these days. However, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.
Cheema said an improvised explosive device (IED) and two hand grenades were seized during a search operation in Saryab.
“Police are on high alert in Quetta, and police and Balochistan Levies personnel are also deployed in mountainous areas,” he said.
A man was killed and 16 others were wounded when unknown assailants hurled a hand grenade on a hotel on Prince Road, Quetta on Monday.
Nimat Kada, a hotel famous for breakfast in Quetta, was packed with people having breakfast at 11:00am when the grenade exploded inside the hotel.
Rescue workers and personnel of law enforcing agencies rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. Further, the dead and injured have been transported to the Provincial Sandeman Hospital Quetta.
“A man died, while 16 others [have been] wounded. Two [of the] injured are in critical condition,” Capital City Police Officer Abdul Razzaq Cheema told The Express Tribune.
“It was a Russian-made hand grenade, and a militant group could be responsible for the attack,” Cheema added.
The window panels of the hotels and restaurants nearby were shattered due to the impact of the blast, which also resulted in a stampede near the hotel after the explosion.
Quetta police chief said security in the city had already been increased due to the upcoming death anniversary of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed along with more than 30 comrades in a military operation near Kohlu and Dera Bugti on August 26th, 2006.
The police chief further said that militants intensify their attacks during these days. However, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.
Cheema said an improvised explosive device (IED) and two hand grenades were seized during a search operation in Saryab.
“Police are on high alert in Quetta, and police and Balochistan Levies personnel are also deployed in mountainous areas,” he said.