New Delhi - The blast occurred on the outskirts of Quetta, the largest city in Balochistan province . At least seven blasts have been reported in Quetta in last 3 weeks.

At least five people were killed while 11 others injured on Friday in an explosion that occurred in Pakistan’s Balochistan province at a madrassa or, an Islamic school, the Pakistani media reported.

According to Pakistani news website Dawn, the nature of the blast could not be immediately ascertained. The injured people in the blast were being shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta.

A local police official told media the IED blast occurred at around 1525 hrs local time and a video showed the blast caused extensive damage to the madrassa.

Since June this year, frequencies of attack have increased in the reason. On July 23, at least three people were killed and 18 were injured in a bomb attack in Eastern Bypass area. On July 30, five people were killed and 30 people injured in an attack at a police station.

Earlier this year, Pakistan deployed an army division to protect interests in Sino-Pakistan development projects including those in the Balochistan region.

Pakistan has been facing an insurgency in Balochistan since 1947, with Baloch nationalist organisations struggling to create an independent state. The Balochi is also a major ethnic minority in Iran and Afghanistan.