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| Security soldiers cordon off the blast site in southwest Pakistan's Mastung, Dec. 30, 2012. (Xinhua/Iqbal Hussain) |
Tufail Baloch, Deputy Commissioner of Mastung, said that the blast left 19 people dead and 25 others wounded.
Earlier local media reports said that the bus convoy was hit by a roadside bomb while on its way back from Iran to Quetta near Mastung, a district lying some 50 kilometers south of Quetta, capital of Balochistan province.
However, latest reports said that all the pilgrims were from Multan, a city in central Pakistan and they were on the way to Iran via Quetta.
The bus convoy was hit by an explosive-laden car instead of a roadside bomb, a driver of the bus convoy told local media.
The car rammed into one of the three buses, which carried 43 passengers on board, said the driver.
Fire erupted following the blast, he said, adding that one bus was completely destroyed, another was partially damaged and the third bus remained safe.
All the injured have been shifted to a civil hospital in Mastung where some of the seriously wounded have been referred to hospital in Quetta, said rescue workers.
Many suffered serious burn injuries, said hospital sources.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement and strongly condemned the attack.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which apparently targeted the Shia Muslims.
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from XINHUA
2012-12-30 14:51:18
Editor: Hou Qiang
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