QUETTA: At least one person was killed and another 22 were injured in a powerful blast in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province on Thursday, police said.

Five of the injured are said to be in critical condition.

Police said miscreants had planted a bomb near an ice cream shop in Mitha Chowk area of Pashtoonabad, located in the outskirt of Quetta.

The bomb went off at a time when there was crowd of people. Police said eight children were among the injured.

The strength of blast smashed the windows of nearby homes and shops causing panic in the area. Most of the inhabitants of the area were confined to their homes for fear of another blast.

Police, frontier corps and rescue workers were quick at the scene to shift the injured to civil hospital Quetta for medical treatment.

"More than 15 injured are brought to civil hospital Quetta for treatment," Dr. Rasheed Jamali, a doctor on duty told Dawn.com.

Emergency was imposed in civil hospital to ensure timely treatment for the injured.

All doctors and paramedics were called to treat the injured in the blast. Security in and around Quetta civil hospital was tightened to avert another untoward incident.

An official of the bomb disposal squad told Dawn.com that more than two kilogram of explosive materials were used in the blast.