SP says they were travelling for agricultural work; explosion occurred as they crossed stream near Killi Bakhtiar Khan
The bodies of three brothers killed in an IED blast are brought to DHQ Hospital in Dukki. PHOTO: EXPRESS
QUETTA:
Three brothers were killed, and another person was injured when a vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Dukki district of Balochistan on Sunday, Dukki Superintendent of Police (SP) Mansoor Ahmed Buzdar confirmed.
According to SP Buzdar, the incident took place in the Killi Bakhtiar Khan area of Luni tehsil when the vehicle came under attack while passing through a stream.
He said four people were travelling in the vehicle for agricultural work when the explosion occurred as they crossed the stream near Killi Bakhtiar Khan.
The three brothers were killed at the scene. They were identified as Rehmatullah, Daurani and Naimatullah, sons of Sultan. The fourth passenger, Atiqullah, son of Maulvi Naik Muhammad, was injured.
The bodies and the injured man were taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Following the explosion, security forces and law-enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
Police said initial information suggested that an IED had been used in the blast. At the same time, investigators were working to determine the circumstances of the attack and identify those responsible.
Read: Security forces defuse 8 IEDs on Quetta–Karachi highway, averting major attack
On June 25, a man was killed in Ormara, Gwadar district, when an IED attached to a motorcycle exploded as he attempted to start the vehicle. Police identified the victim as Raja, a resident of Makola in Pasni tehsil.
Police said the explosive had been attached to the motorcycle while Raja was staying overnight at a local residence. He was killed on the spot, while police and other law-enforcement agencies later cordoned off the area and began an investigation.
Earlier, on May 29, security forces defused eight IEDs hidden beneath a bridge on the Quetta-Karachi national highway in Surab district. Officials said the explosives, concealed inside drums and weighing more than 300kg in total, had been fitted with remote-control and other detonation systems.
The devices were discovered during an intelligence-based operation and were safely neutralised by bomb disposal teams. No casualties were reported.
Authorities subsequently stepped up security along the highway and launched an investigation into those behind the explosives.
