Three passengers were killed and five others injured after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a passenger bus travelling from Quetta to Karachi in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Wednesday. Authorities have since imposed an indefinite curfew in the affected area following the attack and a separate explosion that damaged a nearby bridge.
According to Dawn, the incident occurred in the Garo area of Khud Kocha tehsil in Mastung district. The private passenger coach was reportedly ambushed by armed men positioned on surrounding hills, who opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle.
Security forces and rescue personnel reached the scene shortly after the attack and transported the victims to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Mastung. The bodies of the three deceased passengers were later handed over to their families after legal formalities, while the injured continue to receive medical treatment.
Authorities have launched an investigation and are searching for those responsible for the attack.
The shooting coincided with a separate explosion that damaged a bridge on the National Highway in the same area. In response to the twin incidents, the Balochistan Home Department imposed an indefinite curfew across Khud Kocha sub-tehsil from 9 pm on Wednesday.
Home Department spokesperson Babar Yousafzai said the curfew would remain in force until further orders to maintain public safety and law and order. Residents have been directed to remain indoors, with all non-essential movement prohibited. Officials warned that legal action would be taken against anyone violating the restrictions and advised the public to avoid unnecessary travel.
The attack comes amid intensified security operations in Balochistan. Pakistan’s military said security forces killed 10 militants and arrested two suspected female suicide bombers, along with their alleged facilitator, during intelligence-based operations in the Mastung and Surab districts over the past 48 hours.
The latest incident adds to a series of militant attacks across Pakistan in recent weeks. Earlier this week, unidentified militants reportedly blew up a government middle school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district. In May, Balochistan witnessed a deadly train bombing targeting security personnel, an attack claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
