Death toll goes up to 91 in Pakistan bombings

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - The death toll from Friday's bombings in Quetta and Parachinar cities went up to 91 on Tuesday after 22 more victims succumbed to their wounds at hospitals, according to a local administrator.

Most people were killed in suspected twin suicide blasts in Parachinar city, the capital of northwestern Kurram Agency. The first explosion in the city’s busy Turi market had taken place when residents were shopping for the upcoming Eid festival; a second blast at the same spot shortly after targeted those participating in the rescue operation.

Baseer Khan Wazir, political agent of Kurram Agency, told Anadolu Agency that 22 civilians succumbed to their injuries over the last three days in Parachinar, rising the death toll in the city to 78, and overall death toll up to 91.

"Over 100 wounded people have been discharged while 101 others remain hospitalized in Kurram Agency. Another 80 are being treated at Peshawar hospitals," Wazir added.

Also, on Friday, a suspected suicide car bomber had targeted a police checkpoint outside the police chief’s office in the southwestern Balochistan province’s capital city Quetta, killing at least 13 people and injuring 14 others.

Daesh-linked banned group Lashkar-e-Jahangvi Al-Alami had claimed responsibility for the bombings in Quetta and Parachinar.

In a statement, Pakistani army spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor had blamed the attacks on alleged terrorists based in Afghanistan.

Balochistan has witnessed dozens of terrorist attacks in recent months, including security personnel and civilians coming under attack in roadside explosions and assassinations.

The mineral-rich southwestern province is a strategically important area of Pakistan. It is a gateway for the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, considered to be of major significance for the region. The project aims to connect China's Xinjiang province with Pakistan's Gawadar port in Balochistan.