A hand grenade explosion in the Killi Badezai area of Quetta has killed at least three children, while another two were injured, it emerged on Thursday.
According to the police, group of children reportedly found the grenade from a nearby graveyard and were playing with it when it exploded.
In the resulting explosion, three of the children died on the spot, while two sustained injuries, a spokesperson for the provincial Counter-Terrorism Department said.
The bodies and injured were shifted to the Bolan Medical Complex Hospital.
The area was cordoned and an investigation into the incident was launched, according to the CTD spokesperson.
The incident comes 10 days after a blast on Quetta’s Qambrani Road left five people injured.
Police said the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device planted at the side of the road. One security official was also among the injured.
While condemning the blast, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani had said at the time that “protection of the public’s lives and properties is the responsibility of the government”. He had also directed authorities to take steps for “foolproof security arrangements” for the protection of citizens’ lives.
In April, a powerful bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Serena Hotel in Quetta, killing at least five people and wounding 12 others.
