QUETTA, April 23: The main pipeline supplying gas to the Loti plant was blown up on Sunday while security forces foiled a missile attack at the Sui plant recovering 11 Russian-made missiles.

Official sources said armed tribesmen blew up the pipeline suspending supply to the main plant in Loti area of Dera Bugti district.

“They planted explosives under the pipeline and blew it up in the early hours,” a senior official of the Dera Bugti administration said. He said the 18-inch pipeline supplies gas to the plant from well No 1.

It was the second pipeline in the area that had been blown up in the last 48 hours. The repair work on the pipeline would begin once the area is cleared of landmines planted by militants, officials said.

The sources said security officials received secret information that militants had positioned missiles at a mountain in Tegh to be fired at the Sui gas plant. The security personnel rushed to the site and found 11 missiles fitted with batteries and timers.

“Militants wanted to target the Sui gas plant and cantonment area through these Russian-made surface-to-surface missiles,” an official of the Sui administration said adding that the missiles had been defused. He said the missiles had the capacity to hit a target in the range of 18 to 20 kilometres.

On Saturday night, a bomb exploded at the Harnai railway station, destroying the portion of a wall and shattering windowpanes of the building.

Reports reaching here said tribesmen fired five rockets at FC check-posts in Sangsilla and Dera Bugti areas. However, all devices landed away from targets.

An exchange of fire between security forces and tribesmen was reported in Ghori Nullah, Pahtar Nullah and Chashma areas of Dera Bugti. In all incidents, attackers escaped when security forces returned fire.

In another incident, two FC men were injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in Sangsilla on Saturday night.

Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, however, claimed that security forces had suffered a big loss in two landmine explosions during the last 24 hours.

“A truck carrying security personnel was blown up when it hit a landmine in Lanjha area in which at least 8 FC men were killed and 12 others were injured,” he told reporters over satellite phone.

The nationalist leader said that two more FC personnel were killed in the other landmine explosion in Samney near Sangsilla.

Amanullah Kasi adds: Three people, including an alleged terrorist, were injured in a bomb blast at a bus stand in Quetta on Sunday.

Police said the blast occurred as the accused, identified as Mohammad Saeed Khilji, tried to enter a bus. Sources said the suspect’s condition was critical.

The other two men, Mohammad Younus and Naimatullah, received minor injuries.

“The accused is an Afghan national and belongs to the Babul area in Afghanistan,” Balochistan Inspector-General Police Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob said.