Death toll of Pakistan shrine blast rises to 52

The death toll of a suicide bomb attack on a shrine in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Saturday night has risen to 52, said an official on Sunday.

Balochistan's home minister Sanaullah Zehri confirmed that 52 people were killed and over 100 others were injured in the attack, which targeted devotees, playing Dhamal, a kind of mystic dance, at Shah Noorani Shrine located at a hilltop in Khuzdar district of the province's Kalat region.

The official said that the death toll could further rise as some of the injured still remained in critical condition.

Sohail Rehman, deputy commissioner of Khuzdar, said that the attack was carried out by a teenager boy whose head has been recovered by the bomb disposal squad.

An estimated 7-8 kg of explosives were used in the attack, he said, adding that the head of the suicide bomber has been sent to lab for DNA test.

Militant group Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to local media.

Saturday night's attack in Balochistan is the third of its kind carried out by IS in the province since the beginning of the year.

Earlier last month, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on a police training center in the province's capital city of Quetta, which left over 60 people killed and over 100 others injured.

In August, the group took credit for an attack on a gathering of lawyers at a hospital in Quetta, leaving over 70 people dead and over 100 others wounded. Endit