QUETTA, August 16: At least five persons were martyred in a deadly blast in Quetta’s Kuchlak area during Jumma [Friday] prayers in a mosque attached with a madressa [religious seminary].
Rescue sources said the explosion took place in a Madrassa of Kuchlak town of Quetta during Zuhr prayers. Five people were reported to be dead and around 15 sustained injuries in the blast.
The rescue teams reached the incident place and shifted the wounded to Mufti Mehmood Hospital and Civil Hospital Quetta. The security forces cordoned off the area to collect evidences and conduct investigations.
Search operation is ongoing in the area and the nature of the blast is yet to be determined. The intensity of the blast rocked the seminary and TV footage shows extensive damage to walls and roof of the building.
“The blast was carried out through a timed device that was planted under the wooden chair of the prayer leader,” said Quetta’s chief of police Abdul Razzaq Chmeea. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast. “The death toll could increase as some of the victims were seriously injured,” Shafqat Janjua, a police official said.
On August 6, one person was killed and around 12 were injured in a blast that rippled through Tuk Tuk shoe market near mission road Quetta. According to reports, two children were also injured in the blast.-Agencies
