Two Children Lose Lives, Third Injured After Handling Grenade Mistaken for Toy in Quetta

QUETTA, Pakistan – Two children were killed and a third injured on Tuesday evening after mistakenly treating a hand grenade as a toy and playing with it, local police reported.

The tragedy occurred in Quetta’s Kechi Baig neighbourhood, where two boys—aged eight and twelve—discovered the grenade near a wall of a community Eid prayer area.

“Believing it was a toy, they began playing with the device, which subsequently detonated, killing two and wounding another, according to Abid Bukhari, superintendent of police for the Sariab district, speaking to Arab News.

The injured child was transported to the Trauma Center for medical care.

Over the years, dozens of children across Pakistan’s western provinces—particularly those bordering Afghanistan—have perished while mishandling grenades or explosives.

In June 2021, at least three children were killed and two others injured in Quetta in a similar incident involving a hand grenade.

Balochistan has endured a protracted insurgency for several decades, marked by frequent attacks from Baloch militants against security forces and civilians. The militants accuse the Pakistani government and military of withholding the region’s mineral wealth from locals—a claim both sides deny.

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