Islamabad, Sept. 29, (dpa/GNA) – More than two dozen people were killed and around 50 were wounded when a bomb went off near a mosque in south-western Pakistan on Friday, police said.
The bombing targeted people gathering outside a mosque in the town of Mastung in the province of Balochistan, police officer Azam Khan told dpa.
A senior police officer and at least 24 more people were killed, Khan added.
The bombing occurred when the people from the Barelvi sect of Islam were gathering to celebrate the birth anniversary of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed.
The Barelvi movement, which has strong influences from Sufism, is a popular sect in Pakistan, and people following it are often targeted by the extremist Islamic State group.
Injured people were being transported to the local hospital, Khan said.
A state of emergency has been declared at the hospitals and the security forces cordoned off the area.
Local media reports put the number of dead at seven while Balochistan’s Information Minister Jan Achakzai confirmed 10 deaths.
GNA