At least five people were killed and 16 injured in a bomb blast in a crowded market in southwestern Pakistan on February 26, officials said amid a surge in violence in the South Asian country.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Barkhan, about 600 kilometers (360 miles) northeast of the provincial capital Quetta.
Local police chief Sajjad Afzal said the bomb was apparently planted in a motorcycle and detonated by remote control. In addition to casualties in the bombing, several shops in the market were also badly damaged. Rescue workers took the injured to hospital, Mr. Afzal said.
Balochistan has long been wracked by a low-level insurgency by the Balochistan Liberation Army and other smaller separatist groups seeking independence from the central government in Islamabad.
Authorities claim the insurgency has been quelled but violence remains. The restive province has seen attacks by both the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State group.
Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo condemned the bombing, calling it a terrorist attack.
“Terrorists are trying to create uncertainty through such attacks to achieve their nefarious goals, but we will not let these anti-state elements succeed,” he said without blaming anyone in particular.