16 shot dead in 24 hours in Quetta

QUETTA: Gunmen shot 16 people dead in two separate incidents in Quetta and Machh areas during the last 24 hours.

Banned outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The first incident took place in the Machh area, 75 kilometres southeast of Quetta on Friday night.

A group of 30-35 gunmen stopped a bus, offloaded passengers at gunpoint and shot ten of them dead. The bus was travelling to Quetta from the eastern city of Lahore.

In another incident, two assailants riding a motorbike killed six labourers in the provincial capital on Saturday.

On Friday evening, three rockets were fired at the house of Balochistan's Interior Secretary, Akbar Durrani. However, he remained unhurt.

BLA spokesman Junaid Baloch contacted media persons on the phone and claimed responsibility for the attacks.