KARACHI, Pakistan — On Sunday, the death toll from an overnight grenade attack in Karachi on a truck transporting women and children had risen to 12.
Three of the injured died during treatment, according to Dr. Qarar Abbasi of the city’s major Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, bringing the total death toll to 12. The remainder of the injured were in good shape. Seven women and five children, he claimed, were among the victims.
When the incident happened, more than 20 women and small children from an extended family were traveling in the vehicle, coming from a wedding ceremony, according to Javed Akbar Riaz, a senior police officer.
No one has claimed credit for the incident as of yet. The bombing’s motivation remained unknown, however, authorities quickly ruled out sectarian conflict.
Terrorists ambushed a security patrol in the restive southwestern Baluchistan province, prompting a gunfight that left three militants and a soldier dead near Shahrig in the Loralai district, as part of the country’s Independence Day celebrations.
Although no one claimed credit for that incident, Baluch separatist organizations have claimed responsibility for similar attacks in prior years.
Baluchistan has been the target of several terrorist attacks and a long-running insurgency by organizations seeking independence for the mineral- and gas-rich region on the Iran-Afghanistan border. There is also a presence of the Pakistani Taliban in the area.