5th LD Writethru: 59 killed, 117 injured in Pakistan's police training center attack

At least 59 people were killed and 117 others injured in an overnight terrorist attack on a police training center in Pakistan's southwest city of Quetta, local media reported on Tuesday morning.

Local Urdu TV Channel Samaa, quoting hospital sources, said the death toll rose after more bodies were recovered from the training center after the security forces announced to have concluded the military operation against the attackers; however, no official has confirmed the reports yet.

Earlier, Provincial Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said over 20 people were killed and 109 others injured in the attack on the police training center located at the Saryab Road area of Quetta, capital of Pakistan's southwest province of Balochistan.

According to the reports, 117 injured were shifted to different hospitals in the city, including 78 to Civil Hospital, 32 to Bolan Medical Complex and seven to Combined Military Hops ital.

According to Chief of the paramilitary force Frontier Corps, Major-General Sher Afgun, the incident took place when a group of three terrorists armed with suicide vests, automatic guns and hand grenades sneaked into the center from the backyard after killing a guard at a watchtower at around 11:05 p.m. (local time).

The terrorists occupied a hostel of the police training center and made around 200 policemen hostage in the dining hall of the hostel.

Afgun said the operation against the terrorists was concluded after the three terrorists were killed during the four-hour gunfight.

Following the attack, personnel of Pakistani army and Frontier Corps reached the site and cordoned off the training center and launched the operation.

Exchange of intense firing was heard after the contingents of security forces entered the training center and started the operation to neutralize the terrorists.

"One of the terrorists was killed by the security personnel's firing, while two others exploded their jackets near the captives after they were cordoned off by the army commandos, which caused sharp rise in death toll," said Bugti.

An eyewitness police trainee said, "We were sleeping in our room when we heard firing, we rushed out, I saw two terrorists were firing at another room, I ran to the roof of the hostel and from there I managed to come out."

According to police, around 500 to 700 police personnel including trainees and instructors were present in the center when the attack took place.

Authorities have declared a state of emergency in all hospitals in Quetta and appealed to the public for blood donations.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack and said the terrorists cannot demoralize the nation with such coward attack and that the country's ongoing war on terror will be taken to a logical end.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet; however, Major-General Sher Afgun claimed that the terrorists belonged to a banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Almi and they were receiving instructions from their handlers based somewhere in Afghanistan. Endit