“A massive stock of 1,200kg homemade explosive triggered the blast in Qilla Saifulla at 10:10pm,” revealed the initial report of civil defence bomb disposal squad. The report added seven people were killed and five others wounded in the blast which occurred in Sheikh Abdul’s residence.
After hours’ strenuous rescue efforts, the dead bodies and wounded were shifted to Qilla Saifullah District Hospital. Later, the critically injured were shifted to the provincial capital, said the report.
The explosion was so powerful that its sound was heard in the surrounding areas, frightening the people who rushed to trace the blast scene.
Contingents of police and Frontier Corps rushed to the area and took positions for security reasons.
The nature of the blast remained mysterious for several hours due to the bomb disposal squad’s negligence which prompted action from the civil defence high-ups.
“Zhob Division Crisis Management Officer Abdul Quddoos and Killa Saifullah Bomb Disposal Commander Muhammad Farooq failed to submit a complete report on the incident. They were directed to report to the office of civil defence director in Quetta today (Saturday) to explain their position,” Balochistan Civil Defence Deputy Director (Tech) Rafo Jan Mandokhail revealed.
