17 killed, 20 injured in blast in Pakistan’s Quetta

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) — At least 17 people were killed and 20 others injured on Saturday morning in a blast at a railway station in Pakistan’s southwest Quetta city, officials said.
Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital of Quetta Allah Noor told Xinhua that the 17 bodies and 20 injured were shifted to a hospital, fearing that the death toll could rise as several of the injured are in critical condition at the intensive care unit of the hospital.
Senior Superintendent of Police Mohammad Baloch told media that the blast took place near the ticketing booths of the railway station when a number of passengers were standing in queues to buy tickets in Quetta, capital of southwest Balochistan province.
The official said that at the time of the blast over 100 people were present at the ticketing center when the blast took place.
Police, security forces, and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to hospital.
An emergency has been declared in all hospitals of the city.
The police official said that the nature of the blast is not confirmed yet, adding that an initial investigation showed that it was a suicide attack.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. ■