A roadside bomb targeting a truck carrying coal miners in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province killed at least 11 workers and injured six others on Friday, local officials confirmed.
The explosion occurred in the Harnai district as the truck was transporting miners to a work site. According to a military official, an improvised explosive device (IED) was planted along the road and detonated as the vehicle passed. The official, speaking anonymously, suggested the device may have been remotely activated.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, has previously carried out similar assaults targeting migrant workers from other parts of the country.
Hazrat Wali Agha, the region’s deputy commissioner, stated that 17 miners were on board when the blast occurred. A doctor at a nearby hospital reported that two of the injured remain in critical condition.
Balochistan, a mineral-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been plagued by insurgent violence from separatist groups demanding greater autonomy. The region has also witnessed attacks by other militant factions operating in Pakistan’s restive southwest.
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