Children among 11 killed in Quetta bus explosion
QUETTA: An explosion occurred on a bus terminal located on Quetta's Saryab road, killing at least 11 people and wounding many more, said rescue officials.
The explosion occurred inside a local city bus at the Dukani Baba Chowk area on Saryab road, which had up to 40 passengers on board at the time of the bombing. The registration number of the bus was confirmed as BSA-348.
Rescue personnel confirmed that two children were among the dead.
"More than 20 people have been injured," said Javed Gharheen, a senior police official.
All the injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta, where an emergency had been declared.
Six of the injured were in critical condition, according to rescue personnel.
The chief minister of Balochistan, Dr Malik Baloch, strongly condemned the bombing and termed it "a conspiracy against durable peace in Balochistan."
Traffic remains suspended on Saryab road, regarded as a sensitive area in Quetta, which was cordoned off by security officials after the incident.
According to initial reports, the explosion was heard in a wide area and shattered windows in the nearby vicinity.
Earlier in July, at least two people were killed in a suicide explosion near Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University at Quetta's Brewery road.
Read: Suicide blast at Quetta's Brewery road kills two
Balochistan has been experiencing incident violence and targeted killings since more than a decade. More than 1,400 incidents targeting the minority Shia and Hazara community have taken place in the province during the past 15 years.
The largest province of the country by area, is home to a low-level insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists. Al Qaeda-linked and sectarian militants also operate in the region.
The province shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran.