ISLAMABAD

At least 10 people were killed and several others injured on Tuesday after an explosion rocked the capital city of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan, police said.

The blast occurred at the busy Pishin Stop area near the headquarters of Frontier Constabulary, a paramilitary force, in Quetta.

So far 10 bodies and 19 injured have arrived in hospital, Arbab Kamran, managing director of Trauma Center at the Civil Hospital, told reporters.

A police official also confirmed the death toll with Anadolu over the phone, without disclosing the nature of the blast.

Following the attack, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down those responsible for the bombing.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti condemned the incident, calling it a “terrorist attack.”

The mineral-rich province has long been a hotbed of violence, where security forces have been facing a low-intensity insurgency.