A powerful bomb exploded near an army truck in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 20, officials said. The bomb, weighing at least nine pounds, had been attached to a bicycle, officials said. | Will the Cycles Of Violence never stop? |
The blast in the center of the city wrecked the army truck and at least eight other vehicles. At least 10 shops in a business district were also damaged, witnesses said. Human body parts and blood were splattered around the busy square, which was sealed off by the security forces. "It was a mighty explosion," said Abdullah, a witness who gave only one name. "I saw people screaming and running and the dead and the wounded strewn on the road." Several victims were killed on the spot, and others died in hospital, doctors said. "We have information that 10 people, including a Pakistan army soldier, have been killed in the blast," Major-General Shaukat Sultan, a military spokesman, told Reuters. Four soldiers were among the wounded, he said.
Naeemullah Khan said his father, a shopkeeper, was killed in the blast. "He was badly wounded and was covered with blood. I rushed him to hospital, but doctors couldn't save his life," he said, wailing. Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed denounced what he called "a heinous act of terrorism." He said it was too early to allot blame for the blast, but added: "The people responsible will not go unpunished. |