Tragedy Strikes Balochistan: Schoolchildren Targeted in Deadly Blast

A bomb explosion near a school in Balochistan province, Pakistan, killed at least nine people, including children. The attack targeted a police van but mostly affected schoolchildren. Ethnic Baloch and Taliban terrorists are suspected. Authorities have condemned the attack and declared a health emergency in the region.

A deadly bomb blast in Pakistan's Balochistan province claimed the lives of at least nine people, including five children, on Friday. The explosion primarily impacted an autorickshaw carrying schoolchildren, as it occurred near a police mobile van at the Civil Hospital Chowk in Mastung district.

The explosion, reported at 8:35 am near a girl's high school, left 27 others injured. Deputy Commissioner Mastung Baz Muhammad Marri confirmed the rising death toll, stating five girls, one boy, a police officer, and two civilians were among the deceased. Officials are still determining the perpetrators behind this heinous attack.

Suspected to be the work of ethnic Baloch and Taliban terrorists, who have long been active in the region, the IED was remotely detonated using a parked motorbike. Both Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the attack, labeling it as "inhumane." An emergency has been declared in Quetta hospitals as the region grapples with this tragedy.

(With inputs from agencies.)