Agencies / Quetta
At least 20 people have been killed and several others injured in a bomb blast in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan.
The police said the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device that had been hidden among the vegetables in the market.
The security forces fear the death toll may rise.
Local media reported that at least eight of those killed in the explosion belonged to the Hazara community. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
local media said that Eight Hazara, an FC official and two children were among the dead. At least 48 others, including three security personnel, were injured in the blast, police and provincial authorities said.
DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema told the media that the blast, which shook the Hazarganji sabzi mandi at around 7:35am, was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) that had been hidden among vegetables in the market.
Balochistan Minister for Home Mir Zia Ullah Langau said in a press conference later that initial investigation suggested it was a suicide bombing, and that it did not target any particular community.
He vowed that justice would be delivered and the perpetrators would be taken to their logical conclusion.
“The atmosphere was filled with black smoke and I could not see anything, I could hear people screaming for help and I was also screaming for help.” He said the air was “filled with the stinging smell of burnt human flesh”.