A roadside bomb ripped through a Pakistan Navy bus on a key thoroughfare in the southern port city of Karachi today, killing three persons and injuring more than 15 others in the third such attack in two days.
Two navy sailors and a civilian were killed, a naval spokesman told the media. Over 15 injured people, including civilians, were taken to two nearby hospitals.
Officials at Jinnah Hospital said one civilian was in a serious condition.
The bus carrying junior naval personnel was targeted as it left a naval facility on Shara-e-Faisal road.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Iftikhar Tarar said the attack was similar to the bombing of two Pakistan Navy buses on Tuesday that killed four persons and injured 56 others.
The bomb, believed to be rigged to a motorcycle and containing about three kilograms of explosives, was triggered by remote control as the bus passed by, Tarar said.
Explaining the possible motive of the attack, Tarar said security agencies are the “main target” of terrorists.
At least three vehicles, including a bus, and a petrol pump were damaged by the blast. Footage on television showed one side of the navy bus was severely damaged by the explosion. The windows were blown out and shrapnel ripped through the side of the bus.
Armed forces personnel cordoned off the site and scoured the area for clues. No group claimed responsibility for today’s attack.
The Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attacks on two navy buses.
Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan had said on Tuesday that the militants would target security forces in future because they were “killing their own people in Waziristan and elsewhere at the behest of the US“.
The attack occurred at the same spot where slain former premier Benazir Bhutto’s motorcade was attacked by two suicide bombers shortly after she returned to Pakistan from self-exile in October 2007.
Karachi is Pakistan’s biggest city and home to the main base of the Pakistani Navy.
The Taliban have carried out several attacks in the city since Pakistan joined the US-led war against terrorism in 2001.
