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“The passenger bus, travelling on the M-8 Highway from Khuzdar to Rawalpindi, was targeted near Khori, some 25 kilometres from Khuzdar City,” Khuzdar District Commissioner Yasir Iqbal Dashti told media.
Among the injured was the bus conductor, said to be in critical condition. The injured were immediately shifted to the Khuzdar Trauma Centre following the blast, DC Dashti said.
Authorities have shifted the body to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), while the injured are receiving treatment at Trauma Centre Khuzdar.
Levies officials confirmed that the explosives were planted in a stationary vehicle on the roadside, strategically targeting the passenger bus. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Authorities are investigating the attack, and enhanced security measures are expected to be implemented in the coming days.
The incident comes amid a surge in violence in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where militant activities have intensified in recent months.
Earlier this month, a blast in Turbat killed four people and injured 32, with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claiming responsibility.
According to the CRSS Annual Security Report 2024, last year was one of the deadliest in recent history for Pakistan, with over 2,500 violence-related deaths. Balochistan recorded 782 fatalities, making it one of the hardest-hit regions in the country.
An investigation suggests that an improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in an Alto vehicle parked near the road.
A heavy police contingent, Frontier Corps and Levies forces reached the site of the incident and cordoned off the area. An investigation into the incident has begun.
While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, the country, particularly Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have seen a sharp uptick in terrorism-related incidents over the last few months.
Earlier this month, four people were killed and 32 injured in a blast targeting a bus in the suburban area of Balochistan’s Turbat.
In a separate incident, three civilians were injured in a blast from an IED targeting a truck carrying FC personnel in Balochistan’s Chaman city.
In October last year, a PPP leader was injured, while his son and a Levies Force official were killed in a bomb blast in Zehri tehsil of Khuzdar.
In November last year, at least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station, local authorities and hospital officials said.