At least 16 people were killed and many injured after a bomb blast occured at a mosque during evening prayers in southwestern Pakistan on Friday, according to police.
The police chief of Balochistan province Mohsin Hassan Butt said that the blast took place in a satellite town of Quetta, the province’s main city, AFP reported.
A police officer was among those killed, Butt further said,
Butt added that the death toll may rise as some of the wounded are in a critical condition.
Mohammad Waseem, a doctor at Quetta’s Sandeman hospital, confirmed that 10 dead bodies and 16 injured people had arrived there.
Bomb disposal officers were investigating the nature of the bomb as well as whether it was detonated remotely or if a suicide bomber was involved, Butt noted.
No terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Last month, unidentified gunmen killed the DSP’s son in Quetta, The Express Tribune reported.
Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack and regretted the loss of lives.
Khan said that the best possible treatment would be given to the injured.
Pakistan military’s media wing ISPR said that troops of the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan have reached the site and were carrying out joint search operation with the police.
“Every possible assistance be given to police & civil administration. Those who targeted innocents in a mosque can never be true Muslim,” the ISPR quoted army chief General Qamar Bajwa as saying.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan condemned the incident and expressed grief at the loss of lives.
While reacting to the incident, Balochistan Home Minister Zia Langove condemned it, saying “terrorists were scared of Pakistan’s development”.
He further said in a statement, “Internal and external enemies are making failed efforts to create panic and unrest in the country”.
In May, last year, a powerful remote-controlled bomb blast near a mosque in Pakistan’s Balochistan province left four policemen dead and injured 11 others, the second major attack to rock the restive region.
In August, an explosion took place inside a mosque during Friday prayers in the city.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
(With inputs from agency)