Six martyred in suicide bomb attack on FC coach in Turbat

QUETTA: At least six people, including five FC personnel, lost their lives and 37 others injured in a suicide car bomb attack on a coach in the Turbat area of Kech district on Saturday.

Officials said that the coach, carrying Frontier Corps personnel from Karachi to Turbat, was targeted in the New Behman area near Mirani Dam, located on the outskirts of Turbat town, about eight kilometers from the city centre.

Quetta Serious Crime SSP Zohaib Mohsin, who was on leave, was also injured along with six members of his family in the blast while passing through the area in his vehicle.

The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack on the coach, stating that the Majeed Brigade of the BLA carried out the assault.

According to reports, when the coach reached the New Behman area, an explosive-laden vehicle collided with the coach, setting it on fire. Police and FC personnel immediately rushed to the site and launched a rescue operation, shifting the bodies and injured to the District and FC hospitals.

“An explosive-laden vehicle was used in the attack,” an official confirmed on the condition of anonymity, adding that five people lost their lives in the attack. “We have received 11 injured at the district hospital, including the family of SSP Zohaib Mohsin,” said Dr Ahmed Baloch, adding that the injured included four children. He also mentioned that one security personnel was brought to the hospital and later transferred to an FC health facility.

Sources said a total of 55 people were injured in the suicide attack, with 20 discharged after receiving initial treatment. The condition of 25 is stable, while 10 are in serious condition.

The police have identified 10 of the injured as Zohaib, Changez, Shahzad Ahmed, Haider, Jalal, Sultan, Abdullah, Najeeb Ahmed, Muhammad Aslam, and Muhammad Idrees.

At least five police personnel were also injured in the attack. A senior police officer stated that Zohaib Mohsin, the SSP Serious Crime Quetta, is from Turbat and was on leave at the time of the incident. Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and other provincial ministers condemned the suicide attack on the coach. However, no one was available to comment on the details and number of casualties.