Five killed, 21 wounded, in Pakistan bomb blast

A powerful bomb killed at least five people today in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, where a prominent tribal chieftain’s recent death during a military raid has triggered anti-government fury.

The explosion near a bus station also wounded 21 people in Barkhan, a town about 180 miles north of the provincial capital, Quetta, said area Police Chief Hafiz Inayat Ullah.

Some of the injured were in a critical condition, Ullah said. He blamed supporters of the chieftain, Nawab Akbar Bugti, but offered no evidence to back up his claim.

“Everyone in Barkhan knows that the supporters of Nawab Akbar Bugti are behind the attack,” he said.

Ullah said the dead and injured were standing near the bus station when the bomb went off.