ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An explosion targeting a vehicle carrying coal miners in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 11 people and injured six others, authorities said Friday.
The blast, caused by an improvised explosive device, occurred in the Harnai district of Balochistan, a region long plagued by violence.
“A roadside bomb was planted and detonated as the miners’ vehicle passed by,” a local official said.
Security forces arrived at the scene, cordoning off the area after transporting the victims to medical facilities, Geo News reported. Some of the wounded were in critical condition, and arrangements were being made to transfer them to Quetta for treatment.
The explosion is the latest in a series of bombings in the Shahrag area, home to several coal mines. However, officials described the casualties from this attack as the highest in recent incidents.
The provincial mining authority said most of the miners killed and injured in the attack were from Swat and Shangla districts. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
