At least 52 people were killed and dozens more have been injured following a suicidal bomb blast at a religious procession in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Friday.
The government administrator Atta Ullah said, the heavy explosion happened near a mosque in Mastung, a district in the tense southwestern province of Baluchistan.
At the time, around 500 people had gathered for a religious procession to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, which is a public holiday.
A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) is also among those killed in the blast.
The country’s interior ministry confirmed a blast carried out by “terrorist elements”.
“The attack on innocent people who came to participate in the procession of Eid Milad-ul-Nabi is a very heinous act,” it said in a statement.
Balochistan’s Minister for Information Jan Achakzai via his official on X page, formerly known as Twitter, said the number of dead was rising.
“A few minutes later, another blast occurred inside a mosque situated in the premises of the police station.” DPO Ahmed said the second blast took place during the Friday sermon.
