Quetta explosion kills 1, injures 14

40 kg explosives planted in a car, detonated with a remote device

QUETTA: A 55-year-old labourer was killed, while 14 others, all passersby, sustained injuries in a remote controlled explosion on Siriki Road near the old Sabzi Mandi on Thursday morning.

In addition to the man killed and 14 others injured, a school van, a police mobile and three private vehicles were damaged as a result of the blast.

Rescue workers, Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and police rushed to the scene after the explosion and cordoned off the area. The dead and injured were shifted to the Provincial Sandeman Hospital, where a state of emergency was imposed to facilitate the situation.

While speaking to The Express Tribune, Capital City Police Officer Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema said that the target of the blast could have been the paramilitary troops that circulate in the area, though no officials of the Frontier Corps (FC) or police were injured in the attack.

“The security forces make movements in the area,” Cheema said.

Acdcording to Cheema, around 40kg of explosive materials were fitted to a car and parked near T-Cross on Sirki Road, and was detonated through a remote-controlled device before 9am.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.