Church attack: Six of nine deceased laid to rest in Quetta

QUETTA: Final rites were carried out Monday for six of the nine people who lost their lives in the attack on Bethel Memorial Methodist Church a day earlier.

The bodies were taken to Gora Qabristan in Quetta Cantonment for burial earlier in the day.

The body of one of the remaining three deceased was sent to Lahore, while the final rites of the other two will be carried out Tuesday after their relatives arrive in Quetta.

The nine deaths and injuries to over 50 people took place Sunday morning when the church on Zarghoon Road in the provincial capital of Balochsitan was attacked by terrorists.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti told Geo News two suicide bombers stormed the church, one of whom was shot dead at the entrance. The other suicide bomber blew himself up outside the church hall.

According to officials, the two suicide bombers were between the ages of 16 and 20. The suicide jacket which was defused contained 15 kilogrammes of explosive material.

Balochistan Inspector General Police (IGP) Moazzam Ansari confirmed to media that 400 people were present inside the church at the time of the attack and a major tragedy was avoided due to the quick response of security forces.

"The suicide bombers were unable to enter the main building of the church. If they were able to do this and we did not have security deployed to neutralise them, they would have caused a lot of damage," said Ansari. "Security forces have cleared the church."

An investigation into the incident was underway, body parts of the terrorists have been collected to ascertain their identity, while anoter closed-circuit camera television footage has also been obtained of the blast.