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| Pakistan blasts: 'Dozens killed' at Quetta snooker hall | Pakistan blasts: 'Dozens killed' at Quetta snooker hall |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Twin blasts at a snooker hall in the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta have killed 81 people and injured more than 100, police say. | Twin blasts at a snooker hall in the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta have killed 81 people and injured more than 100, police say. |
| Many of the casualties were caused by the second blast as police and media rushed to the scene. | Many of the casualties were caused by the second blast as police and media rushed to the scene. |
| Earlier, a bomb in a market area killed 11 people and injured 27 more, police said. | Earlier, a bomb in a market area killed 11 people and injured 27 more, police said. |
| A spokesman for a militant group, the United Baloch Army, said it had carried out that attack. | A spokesman for a militant group, the United Baloch Army, said it had carried out that attack. |
| Balochistan is plagued by a separatist rebellion and sectarian infighting between Sunnis and Shias. | Balochistan is plagued by a separatist rebellion and sectarian infighting between Sunnis and Shias. |
| The Taliban and armed groups that support them also carry out attacks in the province, particularly in areas near the Afghan border. Pakistan's military has been engaged in a long-running battle against those militant groups. | The Taliban and armed groups that support them also carry out attacks in the province, particularly in areas near the Afghan border. Pakistan's military has been engaged in a long-running battle against those militant groups. |
| Media deaths | |
| A senior police officer, Hamid Shakil, told Agence France-Presse news agency that a bomb exploded outside the snooker hall building on Alamdar Road and that the second blast occurred 10 minutes later as rescue workers, police and media arrived. | A senior police officer, Hamid Shakil, told Agence France-Presse news agency that a bomb exploded outside the snooker hall building on Alamdar Road and that the second blast occurred 10 minutes later as rescue workers, police and media arrived. |
| The first blast appeared to have been carried out by a suicide bomber on foot, police said, while the second was a car bombing. | The first blast appeared to have been carried out by a suicide bomber on foot, police said, while the second was a car bombing. |
| The dead included at least two members of a media team and four workers from a private rescue organisation, the Edhi Foundation. At least five policemen also died. | |
| Home Secretary Akbar Durrani told AFP the bombings were in an area dominated by the minority Shia Muslim community. | Home Secretary Akbar Durrani told AFP the bombings were in an area dominated by the minority Shia Muslim community. |
| Mr Shakil said that many of the dead and wounded were Shia, adding that the death toll could rise. | Mr Shakil said that many of the dead and wounded were Shia, adding that the death toll could rise. |
| No-one has yet said they carried out the attack. | No-one has yet said they carried out the attack. |
| But the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says the area's ethnic Hazara Shias have been the target of the Sunni extremist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. | But the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says the area's ethnic Hazara Shias have been the target of the Sunni extremist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. |
| A senior government official told the BBC he believed the bombings were the group's reaction to two incidents on Wednesday - the shooting of Sunni cleric and the seizure of arms and ammunition from a suspected Lashkar-e-Jhangvi hideout. | A senior government official told the BBC he believed the bombings were the group's reaction to two incidents on Wednesday - the shooting of Sunni cleric and the seizure of arms and ammunition from a suspected Lashkar-e-Jhangvi hideout. |
| TV footage of the earlier market attack showed survivors picking through debris, and emergency crews taking away the wounded. | TV footage of the earlier market attack showed survivors picking through debris, and emergency crews taking away the wounded. |
| "Frontier Corps [paramilitary] personnel were the target because the bomb was planted underneath their vehicle," senior police investigator Hamid Shakeel told AFP news agency. | "Frontier Corps [paramilitary] personnel were the target because the bomb was planted underneath their vehicle," senior police investigator Hamid Shakeel told AFP news agency. |
| The dead include one paramilitary soldier and two civilian officers. | The dead include one paramilitary soldier and two civilian officers. |
| Also on Thursday, at least 21 people were killed and more than 80 injured in an explosion near Mingora in Pakistan's north-western Swat valley. | Also on Thursday, at least 21 people were killed and more than 80 injured in an explosion near Mingora in Pakistan's north-western Swat valley. |
| The blast took place at a religious gathering. | The blast took place at a religious gathering. |
| Police initially said the explosion was caused by a gas canister, but a senior official later said it was a bomb. | Police initially said the explosion was caused by a gas canister, but a senior official later said it was a bomb. |
| Swat has been controlled by the Pakistani army since it drove out the Taliban in 2009, but the militants still carry out attacks, most notably on schoolgirl campaigner Malala Yousufzai last October. | Swat has been controlled by the Pakistani army since it drove out the Taliban in 2009, but the militants still carry out attacks, most notably on schoolgirl campaigner Malala Yousufzai last October. |