Protesters carry an injured member of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) to the hospital during a demonstration in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. AFP
Residents said the blast was so powerful it was heard from miles away. Ambulances rushed to the site in front of the Frontier Constabulary and rescuers transported the wounded to nearby hospitals.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, though suspicion is likely to fall on separatist groups that often target civilians and security forces in insurgency-plagued Balochistan, where Quetta is the provincial capital.
According to provincial health minister Bakhat Kakar there were concerns the death toll could rise further.
Balochistan has long been the scene of insurgency, with groups such as the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army demanding independence from the central government. The separatists have largely targeted security forces and civilians in the region and elsewhere.
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