Four labourers killed, three injured in suspected drone attack in Mastung

QUETTA: At least four labourers were killed and three others injured in an explosion at Khad Kocha in Mastung district on Friday, with initial reports suggesting it may have been a drone attack.

The blast took place at an orchard at Geet in the Khad Kocha area, where the victims were working, according to rescue sources.

Rescue sources described the incident as a suspected drone attack. However, police said they had not confirmed a drone attcks and that an explosion had occurred at the site.

Police said that an investigation was under way to establish the cause of the blast and determine whether it was caused by an explosive device.

The injured were identified as Ali Raza Mengal, a resident of Khad Kocha, and Naseebullah Abro and Khalid Hussain, residents of Haji Shehar in Kachhi district, according to rescue sources.

All the victims were working as labourers at the orchard, the sources said.

The bodies of the deceased and the injured were shifted to Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Hospital in Mastung, where the injured were receiving medical treatment.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Rafiq Hamza said that the explosion occurred at an orchard in the Khad Kocha area, according to Geo News.

Following the incident, police and other law enforcement personnel reached the site and cordoned it off.

A bomb disposal unit was also called to the site to determine the nature of the explosion and collect evidence.

Police said further evidence was being collected from the site as the investigation continued.

The incident comes days after an explosion in Quetta’s Wali Tangi area killed two people and injured two others.

An explosive device planted along a roadside had detonated in the Hanna Urak recreational area.

Authorities have yet to establish whether Friday’s Mastung blast was a drone attack or was caused by an explosive device.