Injured person being shifted to a hospital after a car-bomb blast in Quetta on Friday. – Photo by APP

QUETTA: A powerful bomb blast, near the house of a former federal minister Naseer Mengal, followed by aerial firing killed at least thirteen and injured more than 20 on Friday, DawnNews reported.

Police has said that it was a car bomb blast.

Mengal had served as oil minister during the tenure of former President Pervez Musharraf.

Police cordoned off the blast site on Arbab Akram Khan Road and the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital Quetta.

According to eye witnesses, glasses of nearby buildings were broken and the area was plunged into darkness immediately after the blast.

The shockwave of the blast was felt from long distances and nearby shops were also damaged.

The fire also broke out after the blast which swathed many nearby houses and shops.

Firefighters reached the site and were busy trying to extinguish it.

Ambulances and paramedic staff were busy shifting injured to hospitals.

The surrounding province of Balochistan has experienced a violent insurgency for decades by nationalists who demand more autonomy and a greater share of the province's natural resources.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has demanded a complete inquiry report of the incident.

Opinion

Editorial

Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...
Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...