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Bomb rips through Shiite enclave in Pakistan, kills dozens

From Shaan Khan and Nasir Habib, CNN
updated 4:02 PM EST, Sat February 16, 2013
People gather after a bomb targeting Shiite Muslims exploded in a busy market in Hazara on the outskirts of Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, February 16. A blast targeting Shiites in a busy marketplace killed at least 45 people, police told CNN. People gather after a bomb targeting Shiite Muslims exploded in a busy market in Hazara on the outskirts of Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, February 16. A blast targeting Shiites in a busy marketplace killed at least 45 people, police told CNN.
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Blast targets Shiites in Pakistani market
Blast targets Shiites in Pakistani market
Blast targets Shiites in Pakistani market
Blast targets Shiites in Pakistani market
Blast targets Shiites in Pakistani market
Blast targets Shiites in Pakistani market
Blast targets Shiites in Pakistani market
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • At least 78 people are killed and 180 wounded, police say
  • Attack hit a Shiite Hazara community
  • Pakistan's prime minister and president condemn the attack

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A blast targeting Shiites in a busy Pakistani marketplace killed at least 78 people on Saturday, police told CNN.

The attack in the southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta left at least 180 people wounded.

The explosives were packed into a parked water tanker and were remotely detonated, said Mir Zubair Mehmood, a senior police official in Quetta.

The South Asian nation, overwhelmingly Sunni, has been beset by sectarian strife and attacks for years.

Mehmood said the attack targeted a Shiite Hazara community. Ethnic Hazaras live mostly in Afghanistan, and there are also Hazara enclaves in Afghanistan and Iran.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf strongly condemned the bombing and vowed to go after the militants.

Earlier this year, a wave of attacks in Quetta left 87 people dead in the Shiite community.

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