KHUZDAR: Five people were injured in an explosion near the Asad Shaheed Cricket Stadium here on Sunday night.

The blast took place at a time when two cricket teams taking part in a night tournament organised by the Frontier Corps were inside the stadium.

A senior official of the district administration, Jumadad Mandokhel, said the final match of the tournament had just been concluded when the powerful explosion took place outside the venue.

“As result of the blast five people were injured,” he said, adding that prizes were being distributed when the loud blast took place.

The explosion initially caused considerable confusion as people inside the stadium were not sure what had happened. However, they calmed down later.

Soon after the incident, policemen and personnel of the Frontier Corps, who had been deployed to guard the venue of the tournament, cordoned it off.

The injured were immediately taken to the Khuzdar Teaching Hospital for treatment.

After preliminary investigations, police officials said the explosive device had been planted close to a wall of the stadium.

The names of the injured were Amir Hamza, Abdul Latif, Naseer Ahmed, Muhammad Siddique and Ali Hasan.

Soon after the incident, security personnel mounted a search operation after cordoning off the stadium. By late into the night they had managed to arrest several suspects.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2017