At least 40 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Friday by a suicide bomber targeting a procession marking the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed, officials said. A second suicide attack by two men at a mosque hundreds of kilometres north in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province led to a roof collapse that killed four people, officials said.
While the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday is accepted by the majority of Islamic sects in Pakistan, certain denominations view it as an unwarranted innovation. In southwestern Balochistan, officials said a suicide bomber detonated a device as rallies from neighbourhood mosques converged on a meeting point in Mastung, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the provincial capital, Quetta. “All of a sudden I heard an explosion… many people got injured and many were martyred,” said Ilyas Khan, a student.
Local hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of wounded, and provincial authorities used social media platforms to appeal for blood donors. “At least 45 fatalities have been confirmed, and 70 individuals have sustained injuries in the explosion,” Zubair Jamali, the provincial home minister, told AFP.
A district police officer gave a slightly lower toll. “I can confirm that the current death toll has risen to a minimum of 42 individuals, with over 65 others injured,” Shoaib Masood told AFP.
