According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema, at least 16 people including one Frontier Corps soldier were killed and 13 others injured in an explosion on Friday morning in the Pakistani city of Quetta, near a residential area where minority Shiite Muslims live.
"Emergency has been declared at hospitals and it seems people from the Hazara community were the target", he said.
#Quetta hazarganji fruit market bomb blast, 12 injured, 7 died. pic.twitter.com/k5bUuhEhA5
— Zainab Ali (@ZainabA22240869) 12 апреля 2019 г.
In the meantime, Geo News reported, citing sources, that at least 30 were wounded by the blast.
At the moment, no group has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack. Addressing the incident, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal stated that the perpetrators and their leaders would face consequences, adding that "the enemy of humanity is behind this act of terrorism".
A sad morning to start with, #Quetta Blast claims 14 innocent lives.#Quetta @gul_marjan @gabeeno @NjMandokhail pic.twitter.com/m0xX0V4NGq pic.twitter.com/zXGIlreRYN
— Life is not in my control (@AbdulHa29896213) 12 апреля 2019 г.
Quetta is the capital of Balochistan Province, located on the border with Afghanistan. Numerous terror groups operate in the region, which saw several fatal bomb attacks last year.
