Four police officers martyred, 11 others injured in Quetta blast

QUETTA: Four policemen were martyred and 11 others were injured in a blast near a police van on Monday, police and health officials confirmed.

The incident occurred in Mini Market area of the provincial capital, according to police officials.

Police and security forces immediately rushed to the site of the explosion and placed security cordons there. 

The injured persons were whisked to hospital for medical attention.

Confirming the death toll, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Quetta Abdul Razzak Cheema said the explosives were installed in a motorbike.

Cheema said the explosion targeted police personnel, adding that the crime scene had been secured and investigations were ongoing.

Medical Superintendent (MS) Civil Hospital Dr Saleem said 11 wounded persons were brought to the hospital, out of which two were in precarious condition.

Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan condemned the blast and expressed over the loss of lives in its wake.

"Efforts are being made to sabotage peace under a wicked conspiracy," he said in a statement. "Those creating instability would be fought back with full force."

The chief minister vowed to improve security arrangements by reviewing them altogether.

He also directed concerned authorities to provide best medical facilities to the wounded persons.

The blast in Quetta's Mini Market area is the third incident of targeting of law enforcement personnel in the county.

On Saturday, terrorists stormed a five-star hotel in Gwadar. All three terrorists were killed by the security forces during the clearance operation.

Five people had embraced martyred, including four hotel employees and a Pakistan Navy soldier. Six individuals got injured including two Army captains, two Navy soldiers and two hotel employees, said the ISPR.

The luxury hotel is located on the Koh-e-Batil Hill, south of West Bay on Fish Harbour Road and overlooks the Arabian Sea.

Prior to that, at least a dozen people, including three police officials, were martyred in a suicide blast outside the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore.

The blast had targeted an Elite Force police van stationed outside the shrine.