Nine security officers were killed and at least 13 others were wounded during a suicide attack in southwest Pakistan.
The blast happened in Balochistan province when the officers were returning to the provincial capital Quetta after policing a festival.
Images show a police truck crushed and overturned, with blood stains on the ground.
This is the second attack on security forces in Balochistan within 24 hours. No group has claimed responsibility.
Kachhi district’s Deputy Police Commissioner, Sami Agha confirmed it was a suicide attack.
According to report, the attacker rammed a motorbike into the truck.
The Balochistan government has condemned the attack and said that an investigation is underway.
The area has been cordoned off and a bomb disposal team is on-site to gather evidence, authorities say.
Balochistan’s Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo said: “All such conspiracies against peace in the province will be made unsuccessful with the public’s support.”
The attack on Monday is the latest in a series across Pakistan targeting security personnel.
On 30 January, a bomb blast at a police mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed more than 80 officers.
It is unclear who is behind the latest incident, but separatists in the Balochistan region have been fighting the government for decades. The Pakistani Taliban has also claimed responsibility for a number of similar attacks in the past.
Balochistan is the country’s poorest province and shares a large, porous border with Afghanistan and Iran.
Bbc/Adebukola Aluko
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