QUETTA: A blast targeting a security forces’ vehicle was reported near the premises of the heavily guarded Quetta district courts on Saturday.

At least 8 people, including two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were reportedly killed and around 35 others wounded in the powerful explosion, according to rescue sources.

Balochistan province’s home secretary Akbar Durrani told journalists that six people were injured in the blast.

“We cannot ascertain right now whether it was an Improvised Explosive Device or a suicide bomb attack,” said Akbar Durrani.

The blast partially damaged the security forces’ vehicle and shattered the window panes of nearby buildings.

Television footage showed several wounded FC personnel being shifted from the scene.

Rescue and emergency teams reached the blast site. An emergency was declared in all nearby hospitals including Civil Hospital Quetta.

Traffic in the area is usually jam-packed with a market, district ans sessions courts and a number of government building situated in the vicinity.

The explosion was heard in a wide area.

Quetta is the provincial capital of Balochistan. The province has been experiencing incident violence and targeted killings since more than a decade.

The largest province of the country by area, is home to a low-level insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists. Al Qaeda-linked and sectarian militants also operate in the region.

The province shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran.