Capital City Police Officer Quetta (CCPO) Ahsan Mahboob said that the blast was a suicide attack.
Mahboob added that the bomber was driving a car laden with about 40kg of explosives. The attacker targeted a Shiite congregation that was offering Eid prayers in a mosque. The bomb was detonated when the people were returning home after Eid prayers.
Earlier, Home Secretary Naseebullah Bazai said that it is not confirmed whether it was suicide attack or if the explosive device was planted in the car.Bazai added that officials are collecting evidence from the blast site.
A police official said that it may be a sectarian attack as it took place in a Shiite dominant area.
Some of the injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital and Bolan Medical College for treatment. Others were rushed to the Provincial Sandeman Hospital through private vehicles and Edhi. Five people succumbed to their injuries.
The blast also destroyed 10 cars and several houses in the vicinity.Authorities fear a rise in the number of casualties and have declared an emergency at the Civil Hospital after the incident.Police have cordoned off the area and investigations are underway.The Shiite community of Quetta has announced that it will observe seven days of mourning to condemn the attack.Members of the Shiite community also gathered and staged a protest at the site of the blast where they chanted slogans against the government.
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