53 killed, scores injured in Quetta suicide blast

Quetta, Sep 3 : At least 53 people were killed and hundreds, including several scribes injured, in the Quetta blast on a Shia Muslim rally, officials sources informed on Friday.

About 197 people were injured after a suicide bomber blew himself amid a Shia Muslim rally at Quetta city, the provincial capital of Baluchistan Province of Pakistan, the sources said.

According to Geo News, the suicide bomber struck a Yaum-al-Quds rally, organised by Imamia Students Organization (ISO), as soon as it reached Meezan Chowk.

Meantime, primary investigation has revealed that about 15 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.

?We have found the torso of the suicide bomber, which appears to be of an Uzbek youth aged between 20-22 years,? police said.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

The entire area had been cordoned off and emergency declared in all hospitals.

Meantime, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the blast and has asked for an immediate inquiry into it.

Friday?s rally was being held to mark the ?Al-Quds day?, an international event celebrated every year by the Shia Muslim community to oppose the control of Israel over Jerusalem and also to show their unity with the Palestinian Muslims, sources added.