GWADAR: Two people were killed and eight others injured in a bomb blast in the Panjgur area of Makran on Saturday.

Police said the blast occurred in the parking area of Aftab Shaheed Football ground soon after a match had ended.

Panjgur Deputy Commissioner Abdul Razzaq Sasoli said two people were killed on the spot in the explosion. “It was a powerful blast that rocked the district headquarters,” he added.

Mr Sasoli said the blast occurred soon after the football match concluded.

However, no player was injured in the blast.

IED goes off soon after a football match

Police and personnel of Frontier Corps rushed to the site soon after the blast and cordoned off the area and took the dead and the injured to the district hospital.

Initial investigation revealed that an improvised explosive device was detonated by remote control.

It seems the deceased who were sitting in car after watching the football match were the target of the blast.

Several cars and motorcycles were damaged in the explosion while nearby houses were also affected by its impact.

The bomb disposal squad collected the evidence from the blast site.

The deceased were identified as Rahim Jan and Hasan Jan. Both were residents of Bonistan, a locality on the outskirts of Panjgur town.

The injured included Mohammad Sameer, Zahid, Javed Ahmed, Jalal, Mehmood, Asad Ali, Murad Ali and Ali Bakhsh.

The bodies were handed over to the families after completing medico-legal formalities.

No one claimed responsibility for the blast.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2020