'Suicide blast' kills at least 10 in Pakistan's Quetta city

At least 10 people were killed in a "suicide blast" that targeted a police vehicle in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, officials said.

Two police personnel were among those killed in the blast in the city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.

"We have received 10 bodies so far and 35 wounded in a civil hospital," a hospital official told Reuters news agency.

Two police personnel were among the dead, a senior police official confirmed.

The blast took place near Quetta Press Club where demonstrations were going on, local newspaper Dawn reported on its website. 

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Provincial Interior Minister Mir Zia Langov told Anadolu Agency that the incident took place as security forces tried to intercept a motorcycle in the city centre.

He said authorities were investigating whether the explosive was planted on the vehicle, or worn by the rider in a bomb-vest.

A senior police official, Abdul Razzaq Cheema, said the blast "seems to be a suicide attack."

Live images broadcast by local Geo News network showed broken windows, charred wreckages of damaged vehicles and other belongings scattered across the scene.

Health officials fear a rise in the death toll as some wounded were reported to be in critical condition.

Previous attacks 

Last month a suicide bomber targeted a mosque in the same city, killing at least 15 people and wounding 20 others.

Although Pakistani militants often carry out such attacks, Balochistan province is also the scene of a low-level insurgency by militants demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the region's natural resources such as gas and oil.

Pakistan's government says it has quelled the insurgency but violence has continued.

The province shares a long border with Afghanistan and Iran.

This is a developing story and will updated shortly