Roadside blast hitting passenger bus leaves one dead, seven injured in Khuzdar

• Blast occurred on M-8 Motorway at Khori.
• Explosives planted in roadside vehicle: Levies.
• Passenger bus was en route to Rawalpindi.
  

KHUZDAR: A roadside explosion in the Khori area of Balochistan's Khuzdar has resulted in at least one fatality while injuring seven others, the Levies confirmed in a statement on Sunday.

The incident occurred on the M-8 Motorway when a passenger bus, on its way to Rawalpindi from Khuzdar, passed by an explosives-laden roadside vehicle. A total of 13 people were travelling in the bus which had a total capacity of 40 passengers.

The deceased's body has been shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) whereas the wounded have been taken to Trauma Centre Khuzdar.

The unfortunate incident comes as the province along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has faced the brunt of terrorist attacks which have witnessed a surge in recent months.

Earlier this month, at least four people were killed while 32 others sustained injuries in an explosion in Turbat.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Serious Crime Wing Zohaib Mohsin was also injured in the blast, police said. Six members of his family had also sustained injuries in the blast claimed by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Before that, two people were killed and four others were injured in a blast in Turbat in December 2024.

It is to be noted that the year 2024 turned out to be the deadliest for civil and military security forces in a decade with at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks, according to “CRSS Annual Security Report 2024” issued by the Centre for Security and Strategic Studies.

Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e., 1,612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded this year, marking 73% more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated, The News had reported citing the CRSS report.

The overall fatalities recorded the previous year were a record 9-year high and over 66% more than in 2023. On average, nearly seven people lost their lives daily, with November emerging as the deadliest month across all metrics, compared to all other months of the year.

The violence had taken the heaviest toll on KP which topped in human losses with 1,616 fatalities, followed by Balochistan with 782 casualties. In 2024, the country suffered 2,546 violence-linked deaths and 2,267 injuries among civilians, security personnel and outlaws.