THE LATEST
The number of people who have been injured in the terrorist attack on the police training center in Quetta is now reportedly up to as many as 17, with 16 of them being police cadets and the last person being a member of the Frontier Constabulary. Those who live in the area also reported that they heard two blasts inside the facility.
Other reports suggest that as many as 22 people may have been injured. There are reports that two of the people who were hurt are in critical condition, while the others are said to have suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri said the training center was on high alert because they had learned before the assault that terrorists were planning something. He explained that the assailants may have selected the training center in Quetta because it is a suburban area because security was high in the province’s capital city.
There were reports of sporadic gunfire from the school, but some of those at the scene are reporting that the gunfire has ended. There has been no official word that the crisis is over.
PREVIOUSLY
Terrorists descended on the Police Training Centre on Sariab Road in Quetta just a short while ago, injuring at least four police officers and taking hostages. Five or six gunmen attacked the training center, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations. After the terrorists began the assault on the Quetta training center, troops with the Pakistan Army and Frontier Constabulary responded to the scene to assess the situation.
At least four injured in the Quetta assault
The ISPR said at least five terrorists entered the hostel at the training center and began firing at random. The facility houses between 1,200 and 1,300 students who are training to be police officers. The terrorists are reportedly holding many of them hostage, although the exact count of how many hostages have been taken is unclear. Officials have surrounded the facility and blocked off access.
Various media outlets peg the number of injured officers at different numbers. Some are reporting as few as four, while others say as many as 12 people have been injured at the training center, suggesting that the number is rising rapidly. Unnamed sources told The News that four police cadets who were injured while fleeing the gunmen have been transported to an area hospital. Thus far a Balochistan government spokesperson only reportedly confirmed one injury. He also said that typically there are 200 to 250 cadets in the training center in Quetta at any time.
Officials have declared a state of emergency at all of the government hospitals in the city.
