Smoke rises following a bomb explosion in Quetta on February 16, 2013. A remote-controlled bomb targeting Shiite Muslims killed 47 people including women and children and wounded more than 200 in Pakistan’s insurgency-hit southwest on Saturday, police and officials said.
A Quetta market bombing has left at least 47 people dead and 200 injured, the latest attack on the region's Shiite community.
The bomb exploded in a busy market in the Shiite-dominated town of Hazara in Baluchistan Province, Agence France Presse reported, where many women and children were shopping for their evening meal.
"The death toll may rise," warned Wazir Khan Nasir, a senior police officer in Quetta, adding that the bomb was detonated by remote control, AFP reported.
"It was a sectarian attack, the Shiite community was the target," Nasir said.
Some sources quoted the death toll and injuries lower — the Associated Press reported that 25 people had died and 70 were injured, adding that many of the injured remained in critical condition.
A separate remote-controlled attack on Saturday, on Kerana Road in Quetta, left 100 people injured, according to CNN.
More from GlobalPost: Quetta bombings: Government holds emergency meetings with Shiite protesters
The story you just read is not locked behind a paywall because listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World. Can we count on you?