Blast targeting police vehicle kills at least four in Quetta

QUETTA: At least four people were killed and as many as 30 injured on Tuesday in an explosion targeting a police vehicle near the Bacha Khan Chowk area in Quetta, police said.

Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Quetta Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the explosion took place close to a police vehicle near the City police station located close to Bacha Khan Chowk, one of the busiest neighbourhoods of the provincial capital.

DIG Cheema said the injured included the injured included an additional Station House Officer (SHO), who was taken to a the City Trauma Centre for medical treatment.

The injured and bodies of the dead were shifted to the Civil Hospital, where officials confirmed the death toll.

The medical superintendent at the Civil Hospital said an emergency had been imposed at the hospital while all doctors and paramedical staff had been called to report immediately for duty. He said six of the injured were in critical condition.

Images from the scene showed blood on the ground and several damaged vehicles, including the police mobile van and multiple motorcycles parked near the blast area.

Police sources said evidence from the location appeared to show that terrorists had detonated explosive material planted in a motorcycle close to the police vehicle. 

But DIG Cheema said it was premature to say whether the blast was carried out by a suicide bomber or if a planted explosive device was used in the attack. 

He said that the crime scene had been cordoned off and preserved, and that expert would carry out further investigation on Wednesday morning.