Rescuers carry an injured man at the blast site in Quetta, Pakistan, Feb. 17, 2020. A suicide blast hit a police vehicle on Monday evening in Pakistan's southwest provincial capital Quetta, leaving eight persons dead and 19 others injured, officials said. (Photo by Irfan/Xinhua)
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A suicide blast hit a police vehicle on Monday evening in Pakistan's southwest provincial capital Quetta, leaving eight persons dead and 19 others injured, officials said.
Spokesperson of the Quetta Civil Hospital Waseem Baig said that three bodies were brought to the hospital soon after the blast while five others succumbed to their injuries during treatment.
The spokesperson feared that the death toll might further rise as several of the 19 injured are in critical condition at the hospital in Quetta, the provincial capital southwest Balochistan province.
Provincial Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove confirmed that it was a suicide attack, adding that three police personnel, including a woman officer, are among the deceased.
Local media quoting police reported that a suicide bomber exploded his explosives-laden jacket near a police vehicle standing guard of a demonstration near the press club of the city.
Several vehicles and nearby buildings were also damaged in the blast, the reports said. Police and security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation in the city.
No group claimed the attack yet.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the attack and expressed his grief at the loss of lives in the blast. The prime minister directed authorities to provide the injured with the best medical treatment.
