QUETTA: At least 10 people were killed and more than 20 others injured after an explosion occurred near Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters on Zarghun Road in Pakistan's Quetta on Tuesday, the local media reported.
Security forces said that six terrorists, including a suicide bomber, were killed in the retaliatory action. A suicide bomber detonated explosives near FC headquarters on Zarghun Road, followed by intense firing, Pakistan's leading news channel Samaa TV reported.
According to the police and rescue officials, blast triggered widespread panic, shattered nearby windows and caused damage to motorcycles, rickshaws and other parked vehicles. Footage from the site of the incident showed thick smoke billowing upwards into the sky.
The Civil Hospital Quetta said that they received bodies of 10 people who were deceased and were providing medical assistance to over 20 people who were injured, some of whom remain in critical condition.
Rescue teams took the injured people to medical facilities while security personnel cordoned off the area. Bomb disposal squads were called to find the nature of the explosives used for the blast.
Pakistani security officials said all six attacks, including the suicide bomber, were killed in the operation. Two Frontier Corps personnel were reportedly injured during the confrontation.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the attack and expressed commitment to making the region peaceful and secure.
He stated, "The sacrifices of our people and security institutions will not go in vain. We are committed to making Balochistan peaceful and secure." He expressed sympathy with the families of victims and prayers for the recovery of those injured in the attack.
On September 24, a total of 12 people, including women and children, were injured after the Jaffar Express passenger train heading to Quetta was targetted in a bomb blast in the Spizend area of Mastung in Pakistan's Balochistan, local media reported.