Quetta Blast Near Kuchlak Police Station

QUETTA: A powerful explosion Saturday afternoon rocked Kuchlak, a Quetta suburb, killing one person and injuring at least three

According to police, either an explosive device planted in a car or the CNG cylinder fitted inside it, burst at a stones throw from the Kuchlak Police Station.

“We are still trying to determine what was the cause of the explosion. On the face of it, it seems to be a car blast, but it could also be a suicide attack”, said a policeman.

The bang of the blast was heard miles around. A number of buildings in the neighbourhood including Kuchlak police station, which may have been the target of the attack, were partially damaged as the blast sent parts of the car flying around.

Security forces cordoned off the area and jumped into action fearing more explosive devices could be in the area. The hectic search bore fruit.

According to sources, the bomb defusers struck as a 25 kilogram improvised explosive device (IED) hidden in another car parked nearby. The bomb defusing experts deactivated it after some effort saving Quetta from an even bigger devastation.

Bomb defusing squad says there were also placed next to the IED they defused two cans of gasoline.

“This time the terrorists had come up with an idea of an “incendiary”, a bomb that is designed to start fires. If the IED we defused had went off it would have made a big ball of fire”, said a bomb defuser.

The local residents did not wait for the rescue services and rushed the injured to a nearby hospital on their own. One of the injured was declared dead in the emergency room. Hospital sources say some of the injured are critical.