At least five people were killed and 20 others injured including women and children in a blast in the Shahbaz Town area of the city on Wednesday.
CCPO Quetta Mir Zubair said three security personnel were among those killed in the blast. Zubair added that initial investigations showed that the blast was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted on a motorcycle.
Following the blast, firing was also reported in the area. Three vehicles and four motorcycles were damaged while window panes of the nearby buildings were broken due to the blast.
Officials said the bomb exploded near a security vehicle escorting school children. The targeted van was completely destroyed after the attack.
Injured were shifted to Combined Military Hospital due to doctor’s strike Police, security personnel and rescue teams rushed to the blast site and in government hospitals.
However the emergency ward in Civil Hospital was opened to provide treatment to those injured in this blast. Doctors in Quetta, who were on strike for more than a month, ended their strike after the incident and emergency was imposed in Civil hospital Quetta.
Medics fear the death toll may rise as most of the injured were in critical state.