Five students killed as bomb rips apart university bus in Quetta

A car bomb tore through a university bus in Quetta on Monday, killing five people and leaving more than 40 others injured, a majority of who are said to be Shias. The attack took place on the outskirts of the provincial capital. “An improvised-explosive device planted in a car parked along the road exploded near the bus of a local IT university, killing five people and injuring over 40, mostly students,” said Quetta Capital City Police Officer Mir Zubair. “The bomb targeted the bus as it carried a number of Shia students,” he added. Zubair said four students and a passer-by had been killed. The injured were transferred to a military hospital for greater protection, said Muhammad Nawaz, a doctor at the Civil Hospital. Balochistan has been a flashpoint for sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The province is also home to a secessionist movement by rogue nationalists groups, apart from militancy. Baloch rebels rose up in the province in 2004, demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from oil, gas and mineral resources in the region. Monday’s attack targeted the bus that was heading to Balochistan University of Information Technology. Other reports put the number of injured at more than 70, with several students said to be in critical condition.