PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) –An explosion killed at least 40 and injured over 100 during a Palestinian-support rally on Friday in southwest Pakistan, officials said.

Hundreds of people were gathering at Meezan Chowk in Quetta within the Pakistani province of Balochistan during a Yaum-ul-Quds rally when a bomb was detonated in the middle the rally, killing 40 and injuring over 100. Among the killed and injured were members of the media.

Rescue workers were quickly taking action, moving bodies and taking the injured to local hospitals as security personnel cordoned the area. However, angry locals ignored orders to disperse the areas, and gunshots were fired in the air, adding more tension to the situation.

Several of the injured are in critical condition as the death toll could rise.

In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, another explosion took place at an Ahmadi worship center in Mardan, killing three and injuring six. The religious minority group were victimized by a suicide bomber, which also caused walls of the temple fall down

“The deliberate targeting of innocent Pakistanis and worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan and while the country is recovering from the terrible monsoon flooding makes these acts particularly vicious,” the U.S. Embassy stated, as the attacks are still being verified. “Moreover, attacks on minority communities are attacks on the foundation of democracy itself,” the Embassy added, condemning the attacks.

“The United States will continue to support the people of Pakistan as they rebuild and strive to secure a future of peace and opportunity that is free from fear, violence, and intimidation.”

During the fasting month of Ramadan, rallies across Pakistan are organized to support Palestinian demands for a separate homeland.

In a separate incident, one police officer was killed and three others were injured when a bomb blasted a police van in northern Pakistan.

The detonation, thought to be from an improvised explosive device, exploded next to the police van belonging to the Pushtkhara Police Station, which was on a routine patrol on Ring Road in the Achini Bala area of Peshawar, Pakistan. This becomes the second attack in the past three days.

Four police officers were injured during the blast, and were transported to a local hospital for treatment. One of them later succumbed to the injuries.

On Wednesday, three blasts in the middle of the Youm-e-Ali procession at Karbala Gaame Shah and Bhaati Chowk killed at least 35 and injured over 200.

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