Pakistan: Three killed, 11 injured in attack on passenger bus

Islamabad, July 16 (IANS) At least three people were killed and 11 others injured when unknown militants fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a passenger bus in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Wednesday, local rescue and police officials said.

The incident happened in Kalat district when the bus was travelling from the country's southern port city of Karachi to Balochistan's capital city Quetta, said Muhammad Zeeshan, Manager of Operations of the rescue department at non-governmental organisation Edhi Foundation in Quetta.

Talking to Xinhua news agency, police sources from the district said that the attack happened at around 5:20 pm (12:20 GMT) local time when attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the bus, killing the three passengers on the spot and injuring 11 others.

Rescue teams shifted the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital in Kalat, where several remain in critical condition, Zeeshan said.

Following the incident, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to trace the attackers.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Balochistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent months, with frequent incidents targeting civilians, security forces, and public transport on major highways.

Till last week, a total of 257 people were killed and 492 others injured in 501 terror incidents in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province in the first half of 2025, local authorities said in a report.

The report recorded a 45 per cent increase in such incidents in the cited period compared to the same period last year.

A total of 81 attacks involving improvised explosive devices, grenades, bombs, and landmines resulted in 26 deaths and 112 injuries.

The report highlighted a sharp rise in attacks targetting non-local residents, with 52 people killed and 11 injured in 14 such incidents, a 100-per cent increase over the previous period.

Two attacks on passenger trains claimed 29 lives, while 39 attacks on civilians left 11 people dead and 29 injured.

In addition, one health worker was killed in an attack on a polio vaccination team. Nine attacks on mobile phone towers injured two individuals.

--IANS

/as