4 killed in bomb attacks on buses carrying Pak navy employees

The first blast hit a bus carrying about 50 people in the upmarket Defence area of Karachi at 7.40 am local time. A lady doctor and a sub-lieutenant of the navy were killed and 37 others injured in the attack, a naval spokesman told the media.

Another bus carrying naval employees to work was hit by the second blast in Baldia Town area about 10 minutes later. Two persons were killed and 19 more injured in this attack, the spokesman said.

The condition of four persons, including the driver, was described as serious by other officials. Both bombs were detonated by remote control, Special Superintendent of Police Raja Umar Khattab told reporters.

In Defence area, the bus was targeted with an explosive device planted in a motorcycle. Footage on television showed a mangled motorcycle lying near the bus. The second bus was targeted with a bomb hidden under a pile of rocks near the roadside in Baldia Town.
Police found another 10-kg explosive device during a search of the area and defused it.

Initial reports on state-run PTV had described both attacks as suicide bombings. The injured in the two bomb attacks were taken to a naval hospital.

Large contingents of paramilitary and armed forces personnel cordoned off the sites of both blasts. Members of the bomb disposal squad scoured the sites for clues. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Pro-Taliban militants are usually blamed for such bombings.