A bomb went off near a vehicle of security forces in provincial capital Quetta of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, leaving two people killed and 18 others injured, hospital sources and police said.

The target of the explosion was a vehicle of paramilitary troops Frontier Corps and several of them got injured in the attack, Deputy Inspector General of Quetta police Abdul Razzaq Cheema told Xinhua.

Those injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta, whose spokesperson Waseem Baig said that they received 18 people who received multiple kinds of injuries, at the hospital.

A state of emergency was declared at the hospital to tackle the emergency situation, Baig said, adding that several of the injured are in critical condition while others will be discharged after treatment.

Rescue sources from a non-governmental organization Edhi Foundation told Xinhua that the explosion was caused by the detonation of an improvised explosive device planted at a motorbike parked by unknown militants near the blast site.

The Frontier Corps' vehicle was on its routine patrolling in the area when the device exploded near it.

The explosion has not been claimed by any group or individual yet, but in the past the attacks on security forces in Quetta had either been claimed by or attributed to separatist groups of the province.

Taking notice of the incident, Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan ordered an immediate inquiry, and sought report from the relevant authorities. He also condemned the attack and directed hospital administration to provide best possible medical treatment to the injured people.

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