QUETTA: A car bomb exploded on the Saryab Road on Sunday, killing three passers-by and injuring seven others, including a police constable.
Confirming the number of deaths, police said unidentified persons had parked a car loaded with explosives on the Saryab Road, near Musa Colony. When a police mobile team approached the site at around 5:50pm, the explosive device went off with a big bang.
A large number of people were busy shopping at the time of the incident, while the police mobile team was performing its duties on the Saryab Road. “Thick black smoke blanketed the scene after the explosion and people were seen running for safety,” an eyewitness told The News.
Two auto-rickshaws were badly damaged, while the windowpanes of several vehicles and nearby buildings were smashed due to the thud of the powerful explosion. Soon after the blast, emergency was declared in all hospitals of Quetta.
Three persons were killed in the blast when splinters of the explosive device hit them. Of them, two were riding a donkey cart, while the third victim was an aged auto-rickshaw driver. Two of the deceased were identified as Muhammad Younus and Muhammad Arif.
Police and Frontier Corps (FC) officials reached the spot and cordoned off the area as officials of the bomb disposal squad examined the site of the blast. The injured were identified as Bahadur Khan, Nazar Muhammad, Abdul Sammad, Rafiqullah, Rashid, Allah Bakhsh and Waqar Ahmed.
APP adds: Unknown armed men gunned down a man in the bazaar of Mach area. Police said the victim, identified as Muhammad Sohail Bangash, was on his way home when armed assailants riding a motorbike opened fire on him late Saturday night, killing him on the spot.
– Agencies
