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20 killed as roadside bomb hits bus in SW Pakistan

28 June 2012 18:31 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 20 people were killed and 25 others injured when a roadside bomb blast hit a passenger bus on Thursday evening in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

According to the Urdu channel AAJ TV, the incident took place at about 6:00 p.m. local time in Hazarganji area of the provincial capital Quetta.

The bus with around 50 people on board was bound for Quetta from Iran. When the bus reached Hazarganji area, a roadside bomb exploded and destroyed the bus completely before the bus fell into a nearby ravine which made the rescue operation very slow.

All the people on board were Shiah Muslims who were coming back from Iran after pilgrimage.

According to bomb disposal squad, around 50 kilograms of explosive were used in the attack.

One of the two police vehicles providing security to the bus also came under attack, leaving at least one policeman dead and three others injured.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.