Officials said at least five people, including three children, were killed in the bombing of a suicide car that hit a school bus in southwestern Pakistan.
According to local deputy chief Yasir Iqbal, the attack that injured 38 other people was carried out on the outskirts of Kuzdar city in Balochistan.
The bombs left as the school bus transported students to a military-run school in the city.
Authorities warn that deaths could rise as several children remain in critical condition.
Pakistani Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and called the assailant a “beast” who guilted of “pure wild barrage by targeting innocent children.”
The country’s military also issued a statement describing the bombing as “yet another coronavirus and a terrible attack.”
The army and prime minister Shebaz Sharif travel to Balochistan to meet some of the injured but blame the bombing without providing evidence.
While no group will immediately argue liability for the attack, the suspicion could fall into ethnic Baroque separatists who frequently target local security forces and civilians.
Pakistan and India regularly exchange liability for attacks on each other’s territory, and such accusations have risen after recent rise in tensions after 26 people died in India-controlled Kashmir earlier this month, causing a brief fire exchange.
Balochistan rebellion
The attacks in Balochistan – the most densely populated state in Pakistan – are generally common and are generally led by rebels.
20 people were killed and 20 injured on Sunday when a car bomb exploded near a market in Chila Abdullah city in Balochistan.
However, no group has argued for responsibility for the explosion.
In March, BLA rebels killed 33 people, most of whom were soldiers when they targeted trains in Balochistan.
Earlier this week, the BLA vowed to carry out further attacks on the “Pakistani army and its collaborators” as part of its goal of creating an independent Balochistan.
