At least 52 people were killed and more than 58 wounded today in a suicide attack on a religious gathering celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad in southwestern Pakistan's Balochistan, health officials and police said.
Earlier, a local official told AFP that the dead were at least 25 and the injured exceeded 80, of which 20 were in serious condition.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes amid escalating attacks by militant groups in the western part of the country, increasing pressure on security forces ahead of national elections scheduled for January next year.
"The bomber detonated the explosives he carried near the deputy commissioner of police's vehicle," Deputy Inspector General of Police Munir Ahmed told Reuters, saying the blast took place near a mosque where people had gathered to commemorate the birth of the prophet Muhammad, which is a public holiday.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which brings together various hardline Sunni Islamic groups, has denied carrying out the attack.
The injured have been taken to hospitals in the neighboring town of Mastung. Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti called it a "particularly heinous act".
# Pakistan
At least 25 people including a DSP were killed and more than 50 others were wounded in an explosion near a masjid in #Mastung area of #Balochistan during the main procession of Eid Milad-ul-Nabi.#blast #quetta #EidMilad #EidEMilad #EidEMiladunNabi pic.twitter.com/WxyEsd7k9R— SIRAJ AFRIDI (@afridi5533) September 29, 2023
Source: RES-EAP