QUETTA: A police head constable of the Balochistan Constabulary was killed and four other personnel were injured in a bomb blast close to their van in the Eastern Bypass area here on Thursday.

Police officials said that an explosive device had been placed on the roadside near Bhosa Mandi and it was detonated by remote control when the patrolling van of the Balochistan Constabulary came close to it.

The deceased was identified as Ata Mohammad. He received serious head injuries and died on the spot. The injured were identified as Mohammad Raziq, Abdul Wahid, Sanaullah and Shabbir Hussain.

Soon after the blast, personnel of police and Frontier Corps rushed to the site and shifted the injured to the Civil Hospital.

Sources in the hospital said that one of the injured was in serious condition. He was later shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Quetta.

According to officials of the bomb disposal squad who reached the site soon after the blast, an improvised explosive device was used for the blast. A police officer said the device carried around 4kg of explosives. He said target of the blast was the patrolling van.

After the blast, police conducted a search operation in the area and took some suspects into custody.

It was the third bomb attack in the city over the past two weeks in which security personnel were targeted. These attacks have claimed three lives and left 15 people injured.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2016