Bombing at Shia shrine kills 10 in Pakistan

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack at a shrine in Balochistan Province.

October 22, 2015 09:32 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 04:16 am IST - Karachi

At least 10 people were killed and 12 others injured on Thursday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a shrine in a village in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province as the worshippers gathered to observe the holy month of Muharram.

The bomber entered the Imambargah, used for religious services, in the remote Chalgari area of Kachhi district at the time of sunset prayers and exploded his explosive-laden vest.

“At least 10 people were killed and 12 others were wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the shrine,” Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said.

The explosion was heard in a wide area and shattered windows in the nearby vicinity.

The security forces have rushed to the area and rescued operations are on.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Sunni extremist groups often target minority Shias.

It was the first major attack that targeted the minority Shia Muslims in the holy month of Moharram when they organise special prayers and take out processions to observe the martyrdom of Hussain Ibne Ali, the grandson of the Prophet.

Balochistan has been rocked due to violence by extremists and ethnic Baloch militants.

Earlier this week, at least 10 people were killed in an explosion in a passenger bus in the Provincial capital Quetta.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.