QUETTA: At least two policemen were among a dozen people injured by a bomb attack, which targeted a police vehicle in the provincial capital of Balochistan, on Wednesday.

Officials said that unidentified miscreants had parked an explosives-laden motorcycle in the Bhosa Mandi area of Eastern Bypass. When a police vehicle reached the spot, an explosion was triggered, ostensibly using a remote-controlled device.

The bomb blast injured a police constable, the driver of the police van and 10 other passersby.

Soon after receiving information about the explosion, police rushed to the area and shifted the injured to the Quetta Civil Hospital.

The condition of two injured people was stated to be serious.

“The target of the miscreants was a police mobile vehicle which was slightly damaged in the explosion. The explosives-laden motorbike was detonated with a remote-controlled device,” senior police officer Abid Jadoon said.

The victims were identified as police constable Naimat, police van driver Abdul Hafeez, Muhammad Isa, Qadeer Ahmed, Abdul Qadeer, Deen Muhammad, Khalil Ahmed, Naseem, Hasnain, Saifullah, Niamatullah and Abdul Qahar.

Teen killed, 3 hurt in Sibi

Separately, in Sibi, a 15-year-old boy was killed and three others were injured when unknown motorcyclists hurled a hand grenade at the residence of SDO of Sibi Irrigation Department in Allahabad area.

The hand grenade exploded in front of the house of the SDO, leaving four teenagers injured.

Police rushed to the area soon after having been informed of the incident and shifted the injured to district hospital where one of the injured succumbed to his injuries.

The condition of two other teenagers was stated to be serious.

The deceased boy was identified as Shahzain while the injured teenagers were identified as Shahzaib, Babar Ali, Owais Bahadur and Muhammad Aqib Mangrio.

Police have registered a case. No one has claimed responsibility for the two explosions so far.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti on Wedne­sday condemned the attack on the police mobile van in Quetta and hand grenade attack in Sibi and said that terrorists will be brought to justice.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2024