Nine killed and nine wounded after grenade attack on truck in Pakistan’s Karachi
- More than 20 people, including women and children, were passengers in the truck, returning from a wedding ceremony, when the attack happened
- Police said an initial investigation suggests the attackers followed the truck and then threw hand grenades at one side of the vehicle
Attackers targeted a truck in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on Saturday evening, killing at least nine people and wounding nine others, police said.
Javed Akbar Riaz, a senior police officer, said more than 20 people, including women and children, were riding in the truck, returning from a wedding ceremony when the attack happened. Five women and four children were killed, said Qarar Abbasi, a doctor at Karachi’s main hospital.
Riaz said an initial investigation suggests the attackers followed the truck and then threw hand grenades or some sort of improvised explosive devices at one side of the truck.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The motive for the bombing was not known, though police were quick to rule out sectarian violence.
Karachi police chief Imran Yaqub Minhas denounced the attack as an “act of terrorism” as Pakistan marked Independence Day on Saturday.
