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Powerful photograph from the #Quetta blast site where more than 90 were killed. Blood spilled over a book. #RIP: image via Aditya Raj Kaul Verified account @Aditya RajKaul, 8 August 2016
![Pakistani local journalists react over the body of a news cameraman after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta on Monday]()
Pakistani local journalists react over the body of a news cameraman after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta on Monday: photo by Banaras Khan/AFP, 8 August 2016
![PAKISTAN-UNREST-SOUTHWEST | by alkhaleej-online]()
Local journalists react after the killing of a news cameraman, Civil Hospital, Quetta [photo Banaras Khan / AFP]: image via alhkaleej online, 8 August 2016
![Pakistani local journalists react over the body of a news cameraman after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta on Monday]()
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Local journalists react over the body of a news cameraman after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta on Monday: photo by Banaras Khan/AFP, 8 August 2016
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Y only Pashtun have 2 live as IDP in camps, killed by Taliban, humiliated by Army and dragged by police in Islamabad? [photo @AFP]: image via Pashtoon Khan @Pashtoonkhan, 9 August 2016 Punjab, Pakistan
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#ISIS claimed responsibility for #Quetta Attack via its official news agency, #Amaq: image via Ihsan Tipu Mehsud @IhsanTipu, 8 August 2016
#Amaq Multiple claims of Quetta bombing. After Taliban, IS claims the attack:tweet via Salman Masood @salmanmasood, 9 August 2016
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Mourners on Monday after the hospital attack in Quetta. The blast occurred shortly after the body of a prominent lawyer, killed by gunmen earlier in the day, had been transferred to the hospital.: photo by Banaras Khan/Agence France-Presse, 8 August 2016
![Death toll rises after bombing at Pakistan hospital - in pictures]()
Pakistani relatives mourn next to bodies of victims after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
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Mourners on Monday after the hospital attack in Quetta. The blast occurred shortly after the body of a prominent lawyer, killed by gunmen earlier in the day, had been transferred to the hospital.: photo by Banaras Khan/Agence France-Presse, 8 August 2016
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#QuettaBlast in #Balochistan is an act of disrespecting Human Dignity and basic Human Values. Condemnable.: image via HRCB @HrcBalochistan, 8 August 2016
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The so called leaders of #Balochistan sitting in #Islamabad Stooges of Pakistan Army killers of Baloch and Pashtuns: image via #Human @ShahidQazi1, 8 August 2016
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Where are Human Rights champions? #QuettaAttack #BalochGenocide: image via Walíd Lái Balóc @waleed_balouch, 8 August 2016
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Army not allowing families to see dead bodies of their loved ones due to the protocol of Raheel Sharif. #QuettaBlast: image via Faiz Baluch @Faiz_Baluch, 8 August 2016
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Real face of world class terrorist provider #Pakistan: image via Meerain Baloch @meerinjo, 8 August 2016
![Pakistani journalists carry placards during a protest against the killing of their colleagues and lawyers in a suicide bombing at a hospital in Quetta, in Karachi on August 8, 2016]()
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PAKISTAN - Rally in Lahore to pay tribute to a news cameraman killed in a suicide bombing in Quetta By Arif Ali @AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 8 August 2016
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The body of a Pakistani lawyer lies in a police van after a bomb explosion at a hospital in Quetta; by Banaras Khan: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 8 August 2016
![Death toll rises after bombing at Pakistan hospital - in pictures]()
Men react at the site of a bomb explosion at a government hospital in Quetta, Pakistan: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
![Death toll rises after bombing at Pakistan hospital - in pictures]()
Pakistani lawyers and local media personnel carry a bed to move the body of a news cameraman after a bomb explosion at a government hospital in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
![Death toll rises after bombing at Pakistan hospital - in pictures]()
Pakistani relatives mourn next to bodies of victims after a bomb explosion at a government hospital in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
![Death toll rises after bombing at Pakistan hospital - in pictures]()
Pakistani lawyers carry the body of a colleague on a stretcher after a bomb explosion at a government hospital in Quetta. A powerful bomb went off on the grounds of a government-run hospital Monday, killing dozens of people, police said.: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
![Death toll rises after bombing at Pakistan hospital - in pictures]()
A Pakistani lawyer reacts as he stands near the bodies of colleagues killed in a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
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#UPDATE At least 40 people are killed after a bomb rips through a hospital in SW Pakistan: image via AFP news agency @AFP, 8 August 2016
![Death toll rises after bombing at Pakistan hospital - in pictures]()
People carry an injured lawyer to a hospital following a bomb blast in Quetta, Pakistan. A powerful bomb went off on the grounds of a government-run hospital Monday, killing dozens of people, police said.: photo by Arshad Butt / AP, 8 August 2016
![Death toll rises after bombing at Pakistan hospital - in pictures]()
A Pakistani paramedic carries injured lawyers to a hospital following a bomb blast in Quetta. A powerful bomb went off on the grounds of a government-run hospital Monday, killing dozens of people, police said.: photo by Arshad Butt / AP, 8 August 2016
![Death toll rises after bombing at Pakistan hospital - in pictures]()
Pakistani lawyers use a stretcher to move an injured colleague after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
According to the Express Tribune, a major English-language Pakistani newspaper, a spokesperson for the Balochistan regional government said that the attack following Kasi’s killing appeared to have been “pre-planned”.
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Don't fool yourself @NewPakistan2020 (Baloch of occupied #Balochistan holding the Balochistan flag proudly): image via PIRDHAN BALOCH @PIRDHAN BALOCH, 31 July 2016
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Killing humans is a biggest crime against humanity but Balochistan's humans r openly being killed by Pakiforces @hrw: image via Samreen Baloch @Samreen_Baloch1, 31 July 2016
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Killing humans is a biggest crime against humanity but Balochistan's humans r openly being killed by Pakiforces @hrw: image via Samreen Baloch @Samreen_Baloch1, 31 July 2016
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Killing humans is a biggest crime against humanity but Balochistan's humans r openly being killed by Pakiforces @hrw: image via Samreen Baloch @Samreen_Baloch1, 31 July 2016
![slide31 | by RISHTACORNER]()
Quetta: slide 31: image via RISHTACORNER, 8 August 2016
![PAKISTAN-UNREST-SOUTHWEST | by alkhaleej-online]()
Relatives grieving over bodies of bombing victims, Civil Hospital, Quetta [photo Banaras Khan / AFP]: image via alkhaleej online, 8 August 2016
![PAKISTAN-UNREST-SOUTHWEST | by alkhaleej-online]()
Relatives grieving over bodies of bombing victims, Civil Hospital, Quetta [photo Banaras Khan / AFP]: image via alhkaleeljonline, 8 August 2016
![PAKISTAN-UNREST-SOUTHWEST | by alkhaleej-online]()
Men comfort a lawyers after the killing of his colleagues, Civil Hospital, Quetta [photo Banaras Khan / AFP]: image via alhkaleej online, 8 August 2016
![PAKISTAN-UNREST-SOUTHWEST | by alkhaleej-online]()
A Pakistani soldier comforts a mourner, Civil Hospital, Quetta [photo Banaras Khan / AFP]: image via alhkaleej online, 8 August 2016
![Pakistan: Over 53 killed, 35 injured in bomb explosion at Civil Hospital, Quetta in Balochistan | by karo4greatness]()
Civil Hospital, Quetta, after the bombing: image via karo4greatness, 8 August 2016
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INDIA - Indian fishermen catch fish in the Yamuna River in New Delhi. By @Money_Sharma #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 8 August 2016 ![Indian workers take a nap near idols of the elephant-headed Hindu god Lord Ganesha at a roadside workshop in New Delhi on August 8, 2016.]()
Indian workers take a nap near idols of the elephant-headed Hindu god Lord Ganesha at a roadside workshop in New Delhi: photo by Money Sharma/APP, 8 August 2016
![Indian workers take a nap near idols of the elephant-headed Hindu god Lord Ganesha at a roadside workshop in New Delhi on August 8, 2016.]()
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Indian workers take a nap near idols of the elephant-headed Hindu god Lord Ganesha at a roadside workshop in New Delhi: photo by Money Sharma/APP, 8 August 2016
![World in focus – best photos for August 8, 2016]()
A picture taken with a long shutter shows Nepalese Hindu pilgrims, also known as Bolboms, collecting holy water to worship Lord Shiva, the god of creation and destruction, at the Bagmati river in Kathmandu, Nepal: photo by Narendra Shrestha / EPA, 8 August 2016
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#haveaniceday #Iran A child raises his hands at #sunset in Mahmoud Abad on June 16. #AFP Photo by Atta Kenare: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 8 August 2016
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Powerful photograph from the #Quetta blast site where more than 90 were killed. Blood spilled over a book. #RIP: image via Aditya Raj Kaul Verified account @Aditya RajKaul, 8 August 2016
Pakistani local journalists react over the body of a news cameraman after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta on Monday: photo by Banaras Khan/AFP, 8 August 2016
Local journalists react after the killing of a news cameraman, Civil Hospital, Quetta [photo Banaras Khan / AFP]: image via alhkaleej online, 8 August 2016
.Local journalists react over the body of a news cameraman after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta on Monday: photo by Banaras Khan/AFP, 8 August 2016
Death toll in Quetta bombing rises to 93, says provincial Health minister Rehmat Baloch: tweet via Ihsan Tipu Mehsud @IhsanTipu, 8 August 2016
Y only Pashtun have 2 live as IDP in camps, killed by Taliban, humiliated by Army and dragged by police in Islamabad? [photo @AFP]: image via Pashtoon Khan @Pashtoonkhan, 9 August 2016 Punjab, Pakistan
A splinter group of Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for Quetta bombing. #Pakistan: tweet via Salman Masood @salmanmasood, 8 August 2016
#ISIS claimed responsibility for #Quetta Attack via its official news agency, #Amaq: image via Ihsan Tipu Mehsud @IhsanTipu, 8 August 2016
#Amaq Multiple claims of Quetta bombing. After Taliban, IS claims the attack:tweet via Salman Masood @salmanmasood, 9 August 2016
IS claim could be just an extension as splinter Taliban group expressed support for it in the past: tweet via Salman Masood @salmanmasood, 8 August 2016
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#Pakistani military checkout on every 500 meters, #Taliban Chief and rest in safe house. #PakistanIsIsis: image via Meerain Baloch @meerinjo, 8 August 2016
#Pakistani military checkout on every 500 meters, #Taliban Chief and rest in safe house. #PakistanIsIsis: image via Meerain Baloch @meerinjo, 8 August 2016
Mourners on Monday after the hospital attack in Quetta. The blast occurred shortly after the body of a prominent lawyer, killed by gunmen earlier in the day, had been transferred to the hospital.: photo by Banaras Khan/Agence France-Presse, 8 August 2016
Pakistani relatives mourn next to bodies of victims after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
. Mourners on Monday after the hospital attack in Quetta. The blast occurred shortly after the body of a prominent lawyer, killed by gunmen earlier in the day, had been transferred to the hospital.: photo by Banaras Khan/Agence France-Presse, 8 August 2016
#QuettaBlast in #Balochistan is an act of disrespecting Human Dignity and basic Human Values. Condemnable.: image via HRCB @HrcBalochistan, 8 August 2016
The so called leaders of #Balochistan sitting in #Islamabad Stooges of Pakistan Army killers of Baloch and Pashtuns: image via #Human @ShahidQazi1, 8 August 2016
Where are Human Rights champions? #QuettaAttack #BalochGenocide: image via Walíd Lái Balóc @waleed_balouch, 8 August 2016
Army not allowing families to see dead bodies of their loved ones due to the protocol of Raheel Sharif. #QuettaBlast: image via Faiz Baluch @Faiz_Baluch, 8 August 2016
Real face of world class terrorist provider #Pakistan: image via Meerain Baloch @meerinjo, 8 August 2016
94 educated #Baloch and #Pakthun killed by the the #Pakistani Army jihadi wings. Army will arrest thousands innocent in #Baloch areas.: tweet via Meerain Baloch @meerinjo, 8 August 2016
Pakistani journalists in Karachi carry placards during a protest against the killing of their colleagues and lawyers in a suicide bombing at a hospital in Quetta: photo by Rizwan Tabassum/AFP, 8 August 2016
PAKISTAN - Rally in Lahore to pay tribute to a news cameraman killed in a suicide bombing in Quetta By Arif Ali @AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 8 August 2016
PAKISTAN - Pakistani victims injured in a suicide bombing are treated at a hospital in Quetta. By Banaras Khan #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 8 August 2016
The body of a Pakistani lawyer lies in a police van after a bomb explosion at a hospital in Quetta; by Banaras Khan: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 8 August 2016
Men react at the site of a bomb explosion at a government hospital in Quetta, Pakistan: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
Pakistani lawyers and local media personnel carry a bed to move the body of a news cameraman after a bomb explosion at a government hospital in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
Pakistani relatives mourn next to bodies of victims after a bomb explosion at a government hospital in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
Pakistani lawyers carry the body of a colleague on a stretcher after a bomb explosion at a government hospital in Quetta. A powerful bomb went off on the grounds of a government-run hospital Monday, killing dozens of people, police said.: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
A Pakistani lawyer reacts as he stands near the bodies of colleagues killed in a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
#UPDATE At least 40 people are killed after a bomb rips through a hospital in SW Pakistan: image via AFP news agency @AFP, 8 August 2016
People carry an injured lawyer to a hospital following a bomb blast in Quetta, Pakistan. A powerful bomb went off on the grounds of a government-run hospital Monday, killing dozens of people, police said.: photo by Arshad Butt / AP, 8 August 2016
A Pakistani paramedic carries injured lawyers to a hospital following a bomb blast in Quetta. A powerful bomb went off on the grounds of a government-run hospital Monday, killing dozens of people, police said.: photo by Arshad Butt / AP, 8 August 2016
Pakistani lawyers use a stretcher to move an injured colleague after a bomb explosion at a government hospital premises in Quetta: photo by Banaras Khan / AFP, 8 August 2016
Pakistan: dozens dead as bomb hits mourners at Quetta hospital: Explosion, reportedly killing at least 67, occurred as body of prominent lawyer, Bilal Kasi, arrived at hospital after he was shot: Taha Siddiqui in Islamabad and Saeed Kamali Dehghan for The Guardian, 8 August 2016
At least 67 people have been killed and another 100 injured after a suicide bomb packed with ball bearings tore through a crowded state-run hospital in Quetta, the capital of a region of Pakistan ravaged by insurgency and sectarian tensionsWitnesses described horrific scenes as victims cried out for help, and survivors scrambled to flee past bodies lying scattered in the smoke-filled corridors.
The blast on Monday appeared to have been a deliberate attempt to target some of Balochistan province’s most prominent lawyers, who had gathered at the hospital’s emergency department to mourn a colleague who shot dead earlier in the day in a separate incident. Bilal Kasi, the president of the Balochistan bar association, was targeted by two gunmen as he left his home for work.
Both Islamic State and Jamat-ul-Ahrar, an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for both attacks.
Victims of the hospital bombing included relatives of Kasi and at least two journalists who had gone to the hospital to cover his death.
One lawyer, Riaz Ahmed, 74, had gone to the hospital with an assistant and his nephew to find out what had happened to Kasi when the blast occurred. “I was near a wall and I fell down,” he told the Guardian by phone.
“The wall protected me. My assistant and my nephew are injured and being treated. It was a miracle that I survived.
“The wall protected me. My assistant and my nephew are injured and being treated. It was a miracle that I survived.
“There was chaos after the blast, with body parts lying everywhere. It is hard to recognise the victims. Many of the injured are quite critical.”
Another lawyer, Jameel Ahmed, 48, said he headed for the hospital as soon as he heard that Kasi, a friend, had been shot dead “I heard a loud blast, then a colleague of mine called me from hospital,” he said. “I have lost so many friends in a single attack. This is horrific. Many of those who have died were with me last night. We had dinner together and now they are all dead.
“I think the terrorists planned it so -- they knew that lawyers would gather in large numbers at the hospital after the killing of Kasi, and so they sent a bomber to attack.”
Monday’s blast was the latest in a string of vicious attacks against lawyers in Balochistan, which is located in south-western Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan. It has become a breeding ground of ethnic separatist insurgency, where the minority Shia and Hazra community have been targeted in the course of the past decade. Two other lawyers, Jahanzeb Alvi and Amanullah Achakzai, were killed in August and in June respectively by unknown gunmen in the same city.
The Quetta hospital attack was the second deadliest in Pakistan this year. In March, on Easter Sunday, 75 people were killed in a bombing targeting Christians near a bustling park in Lahore.
Attackers have previously used similar tactics to those seen on Monday to kill people mourning at a hospital. In 2012, an attack outside a Karachi hospital killed 13 people who had gathered for a victim of a separate attack on the same day.
In an emailed statement to journalists, Jamat-ul-Ahrar said the the group “will continue attacks in Pakistan till the establishment of Islamic system in the country”. Jamat-ul-Ahrar, is a breakaway faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and is based out of the tribal areas near Pakistan and Afghanistan border. Earlier in the day, Balochistan’s chief minister, Sanaullah Zehri, had blamed Indian intelligence for being behind the attack.
The Isis-affiliated Amaq “news agency” also issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, condemned the bombing, expressing “deep grief and anguish over the loss of precious human lives” before he arrived in Quetta to visit the hospital.
“No one will be allowed to disturb peace in the province that has been restored due to countless sacrifices of security forces, police and the people,” he said in a statement.
“This is an absolutely senseless targeting of dozens of people, including patients and mourners,” said Champa Patel, Amnesty International’s director for south Asia. “It has led to a devastating loss of life, and is an example of the string of attacks in recent years in Pakistan on schools, hospitals and other ‘soft targets’, which must cease immediately.”
She added: “A full, independent and transparent investigation must be carried out into how and why this bombing took place, and whoever is responsible should be brought to justice as soon as possible in fair trials, without recourse to the death penalty.”
According to the Express Tribune, a major English-language Pakistani newspaper, a spokesperson for the Balochistan regional government said that the attack following Kasi’s killing appeared to have been “pre-planned”.
A spokesperson for the Pakistan army said on Twitter that the attack was aimed at undermining security in Balochistan in the light of China-Pakistan economic cooperation in the region.
The Quetta bomb disposal squad has issued a statement saying at least eight kilograms of explosives were used along with ball bearings, to inflict maximum damage. The official death toll stood at 67, while more than 100 were injured. Facebook activated its safety check in the aftermath of the attack, enabling users to notify friends about their situation.
A journalist with the Pakistani television network Aaj News, Shehzad Ahmed, and Dawn’s Mehmood Khan were among the victims. Dawn said in an article published on its website that Khan had risen to become a journalist after first working as a security guard at the media organisation.
An AFP journalist who was approximately 20 metres away from the blast escaped injury. Describing the aftermath of the attack, he said: “There were pools and pools of blood around and pieces of human bodies and flesh ... people were beating their heads, crying and mourning. They were in shock and grief.”
Lawyers around Pakistan have announced a country-wide strike, and will not be attending courts on Tuesday. Pakistan’s chief of justice, Anwar Zaheer Jamali, also issued a statement condemning the attack.
Don't fool yourself @NewPakistan2020 (Baloch of occupied #Balochistan holding the Balochistan flag proudly): image via PIRDHAN BALOCH @PIRDHAN BALOCH, 31 July 2016
Canada: Baloch National Movement protests against the abduction of Wahid Baloch by the Pakistani forces: image via PIRDHAN BALOCH @PIRDHAN BALOCH, 31 July 2016
Killing humans is a biggest crime against humanity but Balochistan's humans r openly being killed by Pakiforces @hrw: image via Samreen Baloch @Samreen_Baloch1, 31 July 2016
Killing humans is a biggest crime against humanity but Balochistan's humans r openly being killed by Pakiforces @hrw: image via Samreen Baloch @Samreen_Baloch1, 31 July 2016
Killing humans is a biggest crime against humanity but Balochistan's humans r openly being killed by Pakiforces @hrw: image via Samreen Baloch @Samreen_Baloch1, 31 July 2016
Quetta: slide 31: image via RISHTACORNER, 8 August 2016
Relatives grieving over bodies of bombing victims, Civil Hospital, Quetta [photo Banaras Khan / AFP]: image via alkhaleej online, 8 August 2016
A Pakistani soldier comforts a mourner, Civil Hospital, Quetta [photo Banaras Khan / AFP]: image via alhkaleej online, 8 August 2016
Civil Hospital, Quetta, after the bombing: image via karo4greatness, 8 August 2016
INDIA - Indian fishermen catch fish in the Yamuna River in New Delhi. By @Money_Sharma #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 8 August 2016
Indian workers take a nap near idols of the elephant-headed Hindu god Lord Ganesha at a roadside workshop in New Delhi: photo by Money Sharma/APP, 8 August 2016
.Indian workers take a nap near idols of the elephant-headed Hindu god Lord Ganesha at a roadside workshop in New Delhi: photo by Money Sharma/APP, 8 August 2016
A picture taken with a long shutter shows Nepalese Hindu pilgrims, also known as Bolboms, collecting holy water to worship Lord Shiva, the god of creation and destruction, at the Bagmati river in Kathmandu, Nepal: photo by Narendra Shrestha / EPA, 8 August 2016
#haveaniceday #Iran A child raises his hands at #sunset in Mahmoud Abad on June 16. #AFP Photo by Atta Kenare: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 8 August 2016
#haveaniceday #Kashmir #sunset on Dal Lake in Srinagar on March 30, 2016 #AFP Photo by @TauseefMUSTAFA: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 7 August 2016