QUETTA, March 31: Saboteurs blew up four pylons of the Quetta-Sibi double circuit transmission line near Mach area on Friday, disrupting power supply to Quetta and several other areas in Balochistan.
A landmine explosion meanwhile killed a line superintendent of Wapda and injured three other men who were trying to repair the transmission lines in the same area.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack on Wapda’s installations in Bolan district.
According to officials, saboteurs planted explosive devices around the four towers of the 220 KV Quetta-Sibi and 132 KV Quetta-Sibi double circuit transmission line in Kartani area, some seven kilomtres away from Mach township, and detonated them at around 2:27am.
Loud explosions were heard in Mach and other areas of the provincial capital. A vast swath of territory stretching from northern to southern Balochistan was plunged into darkness.
Sources said that a team of Wapda staff travelled from Quetta in search of the place where the pylons had been blown up. A line superintendent who was identified as Mohammad Naeem was killed in a landmine blast when he was climbing up a mountain.
Power supply was suspended to 37 grid stations.
Saboteurs blew up a railway bridge and track at the Sibi-Harnai section in the early hours of Friday.
According to reports, an employee of the Sui Northern Gas Company was seriously injured when he was hit by an anti-personnel landmine in Talnet area of Sui.
Sources said rocket and mortar fire was exchanged in parts of Dera Bugti and Kohlu.
