A man rammed his explosive-laden motorcycle into a Pakistani security forces’ vehicle, setting off a blast that killed at least eight people and injured about 20 others, officials said.
The suicide attack took place Saturday evening outside a district court in Quetta, which is in southwestern Pakistan’s Balochistan province, said Quetta police official Syed Imtiaz Shah.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released Saturday through the group’s spokesman Mohammad Khurrassani.
Three security personnel are among the dead, according to Shah.
Yet — as evidenced by the larger death toll — Pakistani forces weren’t the only ones affected. The intense blast shattered glass of nearby homes and buildings, while a nearby hospital saw an influx of patients.
Dr. Rasheed Jamali, a doctor working in the emergency ward in one Quetta hospital, said that five wounded that he’d seen were in serious condition.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the terror attack and directed authorities to help those injured and hunt down those responsible.