25 reported dead, 35 injured in suicide attack near Quetta
Pakistani security officials examine the site of the powerful explosion in Mastung district. Pic/AFP
A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate on Friday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan, killing at least 25 people, officials said. At least 35 people were wounded in the blast near Mastung, 50 km from the provincial capital of Quetta.
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Minutes after the explosion, Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, said he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries. "There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy," he said.
Later in the day, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. District health official Sher Ahmed Satakzai said the death toll had risen to 25 and 10 were in critical condition in hospital.
Mastung police official Ghazanfar Ali Shah said the convoy appeared to have been hit by a suicide bomber, adding Haideri's driver was among those killed.
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