Islamabad, Dec 31 (IANS) Six bombs have been recovered from the site in Pakistan’s Quetta city where a car bombing took place Friday night killing at least 13 people, a media report said Saturday.
At least 21 other people were injured in the deadly blast that occurred around 7 p.m. on Arbab Karam Khan Road. The Balochistan Liberation Army took responsibility for the bombing.
A bomb disposal squad has reached the site to defuse the bombs, sources told Geo News Saturday.
While the Associated Press of Pakistan and Dawn News put the toll at 13, Geo News said 10 people were killed.
The explosion in the capital city of Balochistan province occurred outside the house of the son of former federal minister Naseer Mengal.
Mengal had served as oil minister during the tenure of former president Pervez Musharraf.
Intelligence sources put the number of the dead at 15. Seven among the dead were said to be guards of Shafique Mengal, son of Naseer Mengal.
Security officials said Shafique might have been the target of the attack.
Deputy inspector general (DIG) Investigation Hamid Shakeel said an explosive device of around 40-50 kg was planted in a car parked near the house.
Many houses caught fire after the blast. Eight to 10 cars were damaged in the explosion. Witnesses said the area was plunged into darkness immediately after the blast.
Sources told Dawn News that Shafique Mengal had returned to Quetta from his native Khuzdar district about an hour before the blast and was inside the house.
His guards reportedly started firing in the air after the blast, and allegedly manhandled some journalists who reached there to cover the incident.
DIG Operation Nazir Ahmed Kurd told Xinhua that a photographer named Hassan from a local media group received a bullet wound in his head.
