QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani official says the death toll from a bomb blast at a Sufi shrine in southwest Pakistan has risen to 45 and over 100 wounded.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack Saturday at the shrine of Sufi saint Shah Bilal Noorani in Khuzdar district in the southwestern Baluchistan province.
Abdur Rasool, an official at the province’s home ministry, says rescuers transported over 100 wounded and 45 bodies to hospitals.
The blast targeted worshippers as they were in the throes of their devotional “dhamal” dance.
Islamic militants have previously targeted the province, which for over a decade has been the scene of a low-intensity insurgency by nationalist and separatist groups demanding a bigger share of regional resources.
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