Blast in Mosque Kills 5, Injures 15 in Pakistan’s Balochistan

The blast in Quetta’s Kuchlak is the fourth one in Balochistan in less than a month.

(Photo Courtesy: ANI)

At least five people were killed and 15 left injured after a blast hit a mosque during Friday prayers in Quetta's Kuchlak area, in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, on 16 August.

According to reports, an improvised explosive device (IED) containing around eight to 10 kilograms of explosives caused the blast.

The area where the blast occurred has been cordoned off and rescue operations are underway, with a bomb disposal squad also being requested.

Police said the injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment, while emergency has been declared at Civil Hospital Quetta.

While there has been no immediate claim of responsibility, Taliban militants and Baloch nationalists are known to often carry out such attacks.

The blast in Kuchlak is the fourth one in Balochistan in less than a month.

A week before, on 30 July, five people, including two police personnel, were killed after a powerful bomb tore through a police patrol van at a busy roundabout in Quetta.

At least 32 people were also wounded in the attack targeting the police vehicle parked outside the City Police Station at Bacha Khan Chowk.

(With inputs from PTI, Geo News and Express Tribune.)