At least five people, including three schoolchildren, were killed and several others injured in an explosion in Mastung, Balochistan, on Friday, which targeted a police vehicle near Civil Hospital Chowk.

The blast, aimed at a police van, claimed the lives of five individuals: three schoolchildren, one police officer, and a passerby. Many of the injured were schoolchildren. Emergency services promptly transported all injured individuals to Civil Hospital, where a state of emergency has been imposed to manage the situation.

This tragic incident recalls another deadly attack in the district last year, when a suicide bomber targeted an Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) procession, resulting in at least 55 fatalities, including a police officer, and over 100 injuries. Among those killed was Mastung’s Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nawaz Gashkori. Officials confirmed that the bomber detonated the explosive device next to DSP Gashkori’s vehicle.

Following that incident, Mastung hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties: 30 bodies were brought to Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital, while additional victims were transported to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Mastung and Civil Hospital Quetta.