QUETTA (Dunya News) – Seven people, including a policeman, were killed and 20 others suffered injuries in a bomb blast near Girls High School at Civil Hospital Chowk in Mastung district of Balochistan on Friday.
According to police, five schoolchildren and a passerby were among the dead, while most of the injured were schoolchildren.
Police and Rescue teams reached the site soon after the blast and shifted the injured and the dead to the DHQ hospital.
Hospital sources said that the policeman and three children were received dead, while three injured succumbed to their wounds during treatment.
A police mobile van has been completely destroyed in the blast while several other vehicles and rickshaws have been damaged.
The sound of the explosion was heard in nearby areas.
CONDEMNATIONS
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti expressed his grief on the loss of life in blast. In his message to the bereaved families, the chief minister said that the killers would not be spared.
Chief Minister Bugti urged the people to keep an eye on the terrorists and stressed on concerted efforts to deal with the scourge.
Earlier, the Balochistan government sought a report from the provincial home department.
According to the government spokesman, the nature of the explosion was being determined and evidence were being collected from the spot.
Acting President Yusuf Raza Gilani, in his message, said terrorists were enemies of humanity. The nation stood by the security forces and law enforcement agencies to eliminate terrorism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also strongly condemned the explosion in Mustang. Ge expressed sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of schoolchildren and policemen. He directed the security agencies to identify those responsible for the blast and bring them to justice.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said in his statement that the nation was standing with the families of the martyrs and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. He said those who attacked innocent children would be dealt with iron hand.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz condemned the Mastung blast and condoled with the bereaved families and prayed for early recovery of the injured.