10 killed in suicide blast in southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta

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, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

"We have received 10 bodies so far and 35 injured in Civil Hospital," a hospital official told Reuters.

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

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 center.

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

Some 15 people were also injured, apart from several vehicles with varying degrees of damage, he added.

None have so far claimed the 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 injured were reported to be in critical condition.

The Balochistan province, which covers 42% of Pakistan's territory, has been beset by violence for over six decades.

Some 14 people, including a senior police official, were killed in an explosion that took place inside a religious seminary in Quetta last month.

Besides being rich in resources including natural gas, Balochistan is a key route to the $64-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which aims to connect China's northwestern Xinjiang province to the port of Gwadar through a network of infrastructure.