QUETTA, Pakistan, March 2 (UPI) -- A bomb and shooting attack killed at least 16 people and wounded 30 others Tuesday at a Muslim procession in the Pakistani city of Quetta.
An explosion was followed by gunfire as a Shiite procession passed through the business district as part of the religious festival of Muharram.
Security had already been heightened in advance of the events to prevent violence between the minority Shiite and majority Sunni communities.
After the bomb blast and sniping, mobs then attacked nearby shops and vehicles before security forces moved in to control the situation, firing shots and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The mayor of Quetta imposed a curfew and ordered troops to patrol the streets.
Elsewhere, gunfire erupted at another Shiite procession in Phalia, 375 miles northeast of Quetta, where several people were reported injured.
