Bomb panic blocks Karachi-Quetta highway in Pakistan

The major highway linking Iran and Turkey with Pakistan has temporarily been closed Monday due to a roadside bomb which could not be diffused at Khuzdar in the southwest Balochistan province of Pakistan, local officials said.

Officials said the bomb is still alive on the roadside because the bomb disposal squad is not available on the spot.

The highway, blocked for safety reasons, has caused a massive traffic jam on the main artery between Karachi and Quetta, local sources told Xinhua.

A bomb disposal squad has been rushed to Khuzdar from the southern port city of Karachi, local media said, adding that it would take several hours for the team to reach the spot and diffuse the bomb.

Over the weekend some miscreants have exploded a natural gas pipeline in Sariab area and a hand grenade attack injured five in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan province, which is experiencing insurgency and sectarian strife with off-and-on target killings, bomb blasts and ambushes.

Source: Xinhua