Paramilitary soldiers secure the site of a suicide bomb attack that targeted a Shia Muslim rally in Quetta on September 3. — Photo by AFP

QUETTA The death toll from a suicide attack on a Shia Muslim procession rose from 56 to 65 overnight as critically wounded people died in hospital, police said.

Police official Mohammed Sultan said Saturday that about 150 people were wounded and some remain critical after the attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban in the southwestern city of Quetta. A triple suicide attack Wednesday night killed 35 people at a Shia procession in Lahore.

Leaders of the minority sect called a general strike in Quetta and all schools are closed for a day in mourning, police said.

Pakistans government is struggling to deal both with massive flooding and the incessant militant violence aimed at overthrowing the administration. — AP