At least six people, including four children, were killed after a blast rocked a school bus in southwest Pakistan‘s Balochistan region on Wednesday.
The bus was carrying around 40 school children when the explosion occurred at about 07:40 local time (02:40 GMT) just outside the remote town of Khuzdar, police told the BBC.
The blast reportedly left several people injured.
Al Jazeera reported, quoting Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, that four children, the bus driver and his assistant were killed in the attack on Wednesday.
Several pictures and videos are going viral online showing the wreckage of the damaged bus.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.
According to reports, the bus was heading to an army-run school.
The injured people were rushed to CMH Khuzdar for emergency medical treatment.
Security personnel and law enforcers have rushed to the spot.
Pak PM Condemns Attack
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, Dunya News reported.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the blast.
The Minister wrote on X, “The beasts who target innocent children do not deserve any concessions.”
The Minister said, “The attack on the school bus is a heinous conspiracy of the enemy to create instability in the country.”
“Every conspiracy will be foiled with the unity of the nation. We stand with the grieving families of the deceased children,” he said.
Balochistan’s Security Situation
Balochistan has witnessed insurgency for several years now.
The security situation in Balochistan has spiked in recent times.
The insurgents have increased the intensity of their attack in the past few months.
Several groups, including the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), have been launching attacks in the area.
India Rejects Pak Allegations
The Indian government on Wednesday rejected Pakistan’s allegations of New Delhi’s involvement in the Balochistan school bus blast.
In a strong-worded reaction, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan’s attempt to hoodwink the world is doomed to fail.
Jaiswal said in a statement, “India rejects the baseless allegations made by Pakistan regarding Indian involvement with the incident in Khuzdar earlier today.”
Jaiswal condoled the loss of lives in the attack.
“India condoles the loss of lives in all such incidents,” he said.
Jaiswal said Pakistan was trying to divert attention from its reputation as the global epicentre of terrorism.
“However, in order to divert attention from its reputation as the global epicenter of terrorism and to hide its own gross failings, it has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for all its internal issues. This attempt to hoodwink the world is doomed to fail,” he said.
(With inputs from IBNS)
