16 killed in bomb blast in Pakistan

Karachi: A bomb blast ripped through a vegetable market in Pakistan's restive Quetta city early Friday, killing at least 16 people including the members of the minority Hazara community and injuring 30 others. The blast at around 7:35 am was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) that had been hidden among the vegetables in the market, police said.

At least eight of those killed in the bomb blast at Hazarganji area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, belonged to the Hazara community. The security forces fear the death toll may rise, GEO News reported. DIG Quetta Abdul Razaq Cheema told the media that 16 people, including a Frontier Corp (FC) official, lost their lives in the blast which was targetted at the Hazara community. Thirty others were injured and were undergoing treatment. Four FC personnel were also among the injured, the official added. Buildings located nearby were also damaged in the blast, police said.

Security forces have cordoned off the site of the blast. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the blast in Hazarganji and sought a report on the incident. Hazaras make up a significant minority group in Pakistan and most of them live in Quetta. Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan's largest and poorest province, rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies.