Powerful blast Rocks Quetta

Nine dead, 40 injured as powerful blast rocks Quetta

QUETTA (Staff Report) – At least nine persons were killed when a huge explosion took place near Civil Lines area of Quetta on Saturday, officials said.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The TTP’s TSG unity carried out the attack that targeted the convoy of security forces,” Taliban spokesperson, Mohammad Khorasani said in a statement.

The power blast which targeted a Frontier Corps convoy passing through Jinnah Road, left three security personnel dead and over 40 people injured.

The site of the blast is a commercial area with a number of markets located in the vicinity.

Heavy firing was also heard in the area following explosion. Three police were reportedly injured in the attack.

Rescue teams and law enforcement agencies reached the scene and cordoned off the area.

An emergency has been declared in all nearby hospitals including Civil Hospital Quetta, sources told Daily Pakistan.

Condemnation

Expressing shock and grief over the tragic incident, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has strongly condemned the Saturday’s bomb blast.

The Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to provide best medical facilities to the injured of the blast and also prayed for their early recovery.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri has ordered the authorities to put a high alert  across the province.

On January 13, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a polio vaccination centre in Quetta, killing at least 15 people, mainly police personnel.

The policemen were posted outside the centre to accompany polio workers on the third day of a vaccination campaign, which are frequently targeted by Taliban and other militant groups in Pakistan.

Officials are gathering evidence from the scene while others were collecting body parts to put in bags.

Source Pakistan today