A powerful bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Serena Hotel in Quetta on Wednesday night, killing at least five people and wounding 12 others including two police officers, officials said.One of the deceased was identified as Asadullah Khan
The nature of the blast could not be ascertained immediately and no one has claimed responsibility for it so far.
Security, fire and rescue officials were rushing to the hotel and no one was being allowed to go near the site of the blast, which took place at 10:30pm.
Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said the incident was being investigated from all angles. "Those involved will not be able to escape the grip of the law," he tweeted.According to The Associated Press, Shahwani called the bombing an act of terrorism without elaborating. “Enemies of Pakistan are behind today’s attack,” he said.
Quetta Deputy Commissioner Aurangzeb Badini confirmed on Twitter that four people had died and a dozen injured in the explosion.Quetta Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Arbab Kamran Kasi earlier confirmed the casualties, saying two people were in critical condition.
Balochistan Inspector General of Police Tahir Rai told media that the explosion occurred in the parking lot of Serena Hotel.He added that the hotel premises had been cordoned off and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had been deployed to investigate the incident.Dr. Waseem Baig Media Coordinator Health department Balochistan told that those who sustained injuries are identified as Ijaz Ahmed son of Muhammad Sarwar, Bilal Shabbir son of Shabbir Hussain, Ataullah son of Abdul Sattar, Raja Tahir son of Tariq Azuiz, Irfan son of Abdul Sattar, Abdul Hameed son of Sadiq, Muhammad Noor son of Asad Khan, Wazir son of Manzoor, Bilal Qadar son of Musa Khan, Khuda Bakhsh son of Sanwal,and Muzammil Khan son of Hameed ullah. However one injured is unidentified.
Dr.Rubaba Khan Balidi,Paeliamentary Secretary Health told that medical staff and specialists were called from all others hospitals to save the lives of injured persons
"The Quetta Serena Hotel is the only four-star deluxe hotel in the city of Quetta," according to the hotel's website. It is located on the Shahrah-e-Zarghun Road.
Footage shared from the scene showed burning cars, with huge flames and plumes of smoke rising into the sky.In a tweet, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan said he "strongly condemn[ed]" the explosion.Badini said the casualties of the blast had been shifted to hospital. "[The] situation is under control, people are requested to avoid rumours and don’t create panic," he tweeted.Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the interior ministry was in close contact with the Balochistan government and that initial investigations were underway. "The government will issue a statement as soon as the nature of the blast and losses are determined," he added.Senator Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti also condemned the attack, saying "Terrorists have once again demonstrated that they [do] not have the decency to respect the sanctity of even the holy month of Ramzan."
He urged the government to "ruthlessly chase down the monsters behind today's terror attack. An appropriate response is a necessity. Our security forces have the capability and capacity to give a befitting response."
The incident comes a week after 12 people were injured in an explosion during a football tournament being held at a ground in Allahbad Town located in Balochistan's industrial town of Hub.
The tournament was dedicated to police martyrs. "The explosion occurred while the final match was being played," Lasbela SSP Tariq Ilahi had said.
There have been deadly explosions and attacks at other luxury hotels in the country in the past as well.
In May 2019, at least five people were killed and several injured in a gun-and-bomb attack targeting the five-star Pearl Continental hotel in Gwadar. It was claimed by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army.
In 2008, 60 people were killed when a suicide bomber rammed a truck packed with 600 kilogrammes of high explosives into the outer gates of the five-star Marriott hotel in Islamabad. The attack destroyed part of the hotel which was then shut down and opened a few months later surrounded by a massive, bomb-proof wall.
The following year, at least nine people were killed in a gun and suicide car bomb attack at Peshawar's five-star Pearl Continental. The blast caused widespread damage to the five-storey building. A mosque, two main halls and the lobby of the hotel were badly damaged.
Restive province
There has been an uptick in violence in Balochistan, with several incidents of terrorism being reported last year.
On October 16, seven soldiers of Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan and seven security guards were martyred in an 'encounter' with a "large number of terrorists" while escorting a convoy of state-run Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) on the Makran Coastal Highway in Ormara.
The convoy was on its way to Karachi from Gwadar when it came under attack.
In August last year, at least eight people, including police and FC personnel, were injured in a blast in Hub.
In April 2019, at least 14 people, including 11 personnel of Navy, Air Force and Coast Guards, were killed by gunmen after they were picked out with the help of their computerised national identity cards (CNICs) and offloaded from seven buses in the Buzi Pass area near Ormara.
