Pakistan Hospital Blast Kills At Least 70
Police say they believe the suicide attack in Quetta targeted mourners
who had gathered at a hospital after the death of a lawyer.
Volunteers use a stretcher to move an injured man outside the hospital
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack which happened shortly after the body of a prominent lawyer killed in a shooting was taken to the hospital.
"A martyr from the Islamic State detonated his explosive belt at a gathering of justice ministry employees and Pakistani policemen in the city of Quetta," the terror group's Amaq news agency said.
The bomb appeared to target around 150 mourners who had gathered close to the hospital's emergency ward, a spokesman for the regional government said.
The remains of the suicide attacker have been found at the scene, senior police officer Zahoor Ahmed Afridi added.
The explosion happened at the main entrance to the hospital
A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat ul Ahrar, has also claimed responsibility for the bombing and the killing of lawyer Bilal Kasi, who was shot dead on Monday morning by two gunmen.
A spokesperson for Jamaat ul Ahrar has vowed more terror attacks "until the imposition of an Islamic system in Pakistan", news agency AFP reports.
In a statement Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his "deep grief and anguish over the loss of precious human lives".
He said: "No one will be allowed to disturb peace in the province that has been restored due to countless sacrifices of security forces, police and the people of Balochistan."
Dozens have been killed or injured in the attack
Sarfraz Bugti, the provincial interior minister, denounced the attack as an "act of terrorism."
The suicide bomber strapped 8kgs of explosives packed with ball bearings and shrapnel to his body prior to the attack, bomb disposal unit chief Abdul Razzaq said.
The military has been deployed in and around Quetta's hospitals.
Sky News' Neville Lazarus said: "I have been speaking to an analyst who said that the footprint of this blast is quite similar to those of the Taliban.
"They have done this in the past where they have attacked and then there has been a secondary device which has caused more casualties.
"This is similar to those attacks.
"There was one in 2013 where they killed a police officer and then a suicide bomber blew himself up amongst the mourners, killing at least 30 people."
Volunteers use a stretcher to move an injured man outside the hospital
At least 70 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a hospital in southwest Pakistan.
Dozens of other people were injured in the blast, which happened in the grounds of a government-run hospital in Quetta.Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack which happened shortly after the body of a prominent lawyer killed in a shooting was taken to the hospital.
"A martyr from the Islamic State detonated his explosive belt at a gathering of justice ministry employees and Pakistani policemen in the city of Quetta," the terror group's Amaq news agency said.
The bomb appeared to target around 150 mourners who had gathered close to the hospital's emergency ward, a spokesman for the regional government said.
The remains of the suicide attacker have been found at the scene, senior police officer Zahoor Ahmed Afridi added.
The explosion happened at the main entrance to the hospital
A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat ul Ahrar, has also claimed responsibility for the bombing and the killing of lawyer Bilal Kasi, who was shot dead on Monday morning by two gunmen.
A spokesperson for Jamaat ul Ahrar has vowed more terror attacks "until the imposition of an Islamic system in Pakistan", news agency AFP reports.
In a statement Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his "deep grief and anguish over the loss of precious human lives".
He said: "No one will be allowed to disturb peace in the province that has been restored due to countless sacrifices of security forces, police and the people of Balochistan."
Dozens have been killed or injured in the attack
Sarfraz Bugti, the provincial interior minister, denounced the attack as an "act of terrorism."
The suicide bomber strapped 8kgs of explosives packed with ball bearings and shrapnel to his body prior to the attack, bomb disposal unit chief Abdul Razzaq said.
The military has been deployed in and around Quetta's hospitals.
Sky News' Neville Lazarus said: "I have been speaking to an analyst who said that the footprint of this blast is quite similar to those of the Taliban.
"They have done this in the past where they have attacked and then there has been a secondary device which has caused more casualties.
"This is similar to those attacks.
"There was one in 2013 where they killed a police officer and then a suicide bomber blew himself up amongst the mourners, killing at least 30 people."
The attack is the second deadliest bombing in Pakistan this year, after a blast in Lahore which killed 75 people in March.
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