17 pilgrims die in sectarian attack

Dec 30 2012

A suicide bomber driving a vehicle packed with explosives has rammed into a bus carrying Shiite Muslim pilgrims in south west Pakistan, killing 17 people.

Government official Tufail Ahmed said over 20 people were wounded in the attack in Baluchistan province's Mastung district.

The blast completely destroyed the bus that was hit and damaged a second bus carrying Shiites that was close by.

An eyewitness who was travelling in the second bus told Geo TV that the pilgrims were headed to neighbouring Iran, a majority Shiite country that is a popular religious tourism destination.

The eyewitness did not provide his name.

Pakistan has experienced a spike in killings over the last year by radical Sunni Muslims targeting Shiites who they consider heretics, especially in Baluchistan.