Blast in Quetta kills one, injures several

QUETTA: An explosion in Quetta's Kandhari Bazar area killed one person and wounded several others on Sunday. Rescue and emergency teams reached the blast spot and began shifting the victims to Civil Hospital Quetta for treatment. An emergency was also imposed at the medical facility. "The bazar was at its busiest when the bomb went off", Babul Jattak, a rescue worker told Dawn. Police said the explosive materials were planted in a drain outside a shop in Kandahari Bazar and added that the market was jam-packed with Eid shoppers when the bomb went off. Fear and panic gripped the area after the loud blast which also smashed the glasses of shops located in the commercial hub of Quetta. Moreover, security personnel also reached the site and cordoned off the area as a probe into the incident went underway. "The explosive materials were detonated through a timer device", an official of the Bomb Disposal Squad who requested anonymity told Dawn. Meanwhile in a separate incident, two persons were killed in a firing incident in Sariab road area of Quetta. Imran Qureshi, the Superintendent of Police told Dawn.com that armed motorcyclists opened fire on Link Sariab road and seriously injured two persons. "Both injured succumbed to their wounds on their way to hospital,” he said. The assailants fled from the spot after the attack. Police personnel reached the spot and launched investigation into the incident. However, Qureshi said the incident was the result of an old tribal dispute.