Islamabad: A bomb blast ripped through a bus carrying security personnel in Quetta city of southwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing 12 people and injuring more than 20, police officials said.
The bomb, planted in an auto-rickshaw, went off as the bus carrying Balochistan Constabulary personnel was passing through Bhosa Mandi area on the outskirts of the city this morning. Deputy Inspector General of Police Fayyaz Ahmed Sumbal said 10 security personnel and two civilians were killed.
The injured were taken to the nearby Civil Hospital.
Those with serious injuries were later shifted to a military hospital. Officials said five of the wounded were in a critical condition. Police officials said the bomb was detonated by remote control while the bus was passing through the area.
Members of the bomb disposal squad said an estimated 100 kg of explosives were used in the attack. Footage on television showed that the bus was destroyed by the blast. Debris lay scattered over a wide area.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Frontier Corps and police, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Meanwhile, mobile phone services were suspended in the Pakistani capital and nearby Rawalpindi for the second day on Thursday as part of extraordinary security measures put in place to ensure an incident-free visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang here.
Roads in the heart of Islamabad were sealed when Premier Li went to the Parliament to address a special session of the Senate or Upper House. (PTI)