Hotel Bomb Blast Kills 11 In Southwest Pakistan

A bomb blast at a hotel in southwest Pakistan has killed at least 11 people and wounded nearly 20 more, police say.

The attack happened in Dera Allah Yar, a town in Baluchestan province around 300 km east of the provincial capital, Quetta.

Although there was no claim of responsibility, police said they suspected ethnic Baluch separatists.

Local police chief Javed Gharsheen said the bomb was planted inside the hotel and exploded when many people sitting in the hall. The two-storey building was destroyed in the blast.

Rescue workers were removing rubble in a search for survivors. Police warned that the death toll could rise as several people were believed to be trapped under the wreckage.

Baluch militants have been waging an insurgency for decades for more autonomy and control over the natural resources of their impoverished region.

compiled in agency reports