Blast kills at least 51 at Pakistan rally

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A suicide attack at a Youm-al-Quds rally in Quetta, Pakistan, killed at least 51 people and wounded more than 100 others Friday, officials said.

Hundreds of people were attending the rally when a bomb was detonated in the middle of the crowd, Pakistani news network Samaa reported.

In response to the explosion, people in the crowd opened fire and set six vehicles, including one belonging to security forces, and shops at Baldia Plaza on fire, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

A police officer said rally organizers had been advised in writing to follow a certain route.

Quetta police Chief Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh said the procession violated the police advice and headed to Mizan Chowk, a commercial hub of Quetta.

"No adequate security arrangements were made on the routes," a source told Samaa.

The type of bomb wasn't immediately known, police said.

Emergency conditions were declared at local hospitals, and law enforcement officers were patrolling all important streets and entrance and exit routes of the city.

Organizers said Youm-al-Quds rallies are conducted across Pakistan annually on the last Friday of Ramadan to show support for a separate Palestinian state.