At least 10 people were killed and 32 injured on Tuesday when a bomb exploded on a busy street in Balochistan’s Quetta, Pakistan, Dawn reported, citing provincial Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar.
“Thirty-two injured have been taken to the Civil Hospital and Trauma Centre,” Kakar told Dawn.
Following the blast, the Balochistan Health Department declared an emergency in hospitals across the provincial capital, according to Health Secretary Mujeebur Rehman.
“An emergency has been declared at Quetta Civil Hospital, BMC Hospital Quetta, and the Trauma Centre,” Rehman said, adding that all consultants, doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and paramedical staff had been directed to remain on duty.
The blast comes amid a fresh rise of violence and tensions in the region as well as in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after a Pakistan Air Force strike destroyed a village, killing civilians.
On September 3, a suicide bombing at a political rally in Quetta killed 11 people and injured more than 40. The attack took place in a stadium car park where hundreds of Balochistan National Party (BNP) supporters had gathered.
Television footage and social media clips showed the powerful explosion ripping through the street, which also caught several civilians present in the vicinity.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the blast, Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel in the province.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the incident, calling it a “terrorist attack.” “The terrorists cannot weaken the nation’s resolve through cowardly acts. The sacrifices of the people and security forces will not go in vain. We remain committed to making Balochistan peaceful and secure," he said in a statement on X.
Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency.
Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in this oil and mineral-rich province.