“At least 26 civilians were wounded and three of them are in critical condition in the bicycle bombing on Prince Road,” Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema told The Express Tribune.
An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing five kilograms was fitted on a bicycle before being parked outside a hotel, the CCPO added.
The blast caused a fire to erupt in six shops and fire tenders had to be called in to extinguish the blaze.
“Approximately, five kilograms of explosives were used in the explosion,” an official of Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) told The Express Tribune, adding that “nut, bolts and steel nails were used to cause maximse the damages and casualties.”
Following the blast, rescue workers, police and security forces reached the crime scene and cordoned off the area.
PHOTO: NASEEM JAMES/EXPRESS
The injured were transported to Provincial Sandeman Hospital.
According to medics at the hospital, “At least 26 injured were brought here after the blast. Two of them are about eight to nine years old.”
Talking to The Express Tribune, an injured said he was on his motorbike and passing by the area when huge blast occurred and black thick smoke covered the area. “I fell down on the floor and later found myself in hospital,” said Shahid Iqbal, an injured at Sandeman Hospital.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ