Volunteers search for blast victims in the wreckage of a destroyed passenger bus following a bomb explosion in Mastung district, about 25 kilometres south of Quetta. – Photo by AFP
Volunteers search for blast victims in the wreckage of a destroyed passenger bus following a bomb explosion in Mastung district, about 25 kilometres south of Quetta. – Photo by AFP

QUETTA: A roadside bomb ripped through a passenger bus carrying Shia Muslim pilgrims in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding about a dozen, officials said.

Earlier security sources said that four people killed by the attack but Deputy commissioner Mastung confirmed the killings of two people.

Six security personnel who were assigned to provide security to the bus also received injuries.

The blast took place in Mastung district, about 25 kilometres south of Quetta, the capital of insurgency-hit Balochistan province.

“It was a roadside bomb which targeted the bus,” senior administration officer Irfan Shah told AFP.

“The bus caught fire after the blast,” he said adding that initial reports said “at least two people were killed and about a dozen wounded”.

The injured, some of them in serious condition, have been taken to hospital in Quetta.

Officials said the bus, carrying up to 40 pilgrims, was returning from Iran after taking pilgrims to Shia holy place

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Opinion

Editorial

Weathering the storm
29 Apr, 2024

Weathering the storm

THE year 2023 is a sobering reminder of the tumultuous relationship Asia has with climate change and how this change...
Afghan repatriation
29 Apr, 2024

Afghan repatriation

COMPARED to the roughshod manner in which the caretaker set-up dealt with the issue, the elected government seems a...
Trying harder
29 Apr, 2024

Trying harder

IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before...
Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.