3rd LD Writethru: 10 killed, 40 injured as suicide blast hits NW Pakistan

At least 10 people were killed and 40 others injured as a suicide blast hit a security forces' convoy in Pakistan's southwest city of Quetta on Saturday afternoon, said local officials.

Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, spokesman of the government of Balochistan Province with Quetta as its capital, confirmed that six paramilitary forces Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were among the 10 killed and the 40 injured including women and children.

According to local media reports and officials, the attack took place at about 4:20 p.m. local time when a man riding a motorbike hit a FC convoy passing by a local court on Jinnah Road of Quetta city.

Three vehicles of the convoy and one passing-by rickshaw were destroyed in the blast and several nearby buildings were also damaged.

Bomb disposal squad officers said an estimated 10 to 15 kg of explosives were used in the bomb.

All the blast victims have been shifted to the local military and civil hospitals where several injured people are said to be in critical condition.

Both Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have condemned the attack shortly after the blast.

A splinter group of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistan Taliban) said in an e-mail sent to local media that they are responsible for the attack. The name of the group is not mentioned by the local media.

The attack took place at a time when senior officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the U.S. met in Islamabad on Saturday for the third round of talks aimed at bringing the Tablian to negotiation tables with the Afhgan government.

A number of attacks also occurred during the first and second round of the quadrilateral talks on Afghan peace process, which were held in Pakistan and Afghanistan in January. Endit