QUETTA: Three people including a woman and child were killed on Saturday evening during an armed clash between security forces and militants in Balochistan's Kharan district, police said.

A police official, who requested anonymity, told Dawn.com via telephone that militants opened fire at the vehicle of security forces on the Quetta-Kharan road.

He said a woman and a child were among three people caught in the firing, further stating that they were killed on the spot whereas the third person succumbed to injuries in Kharan hospital.

"The forces narrowly escaped the attack," he added.

Security forces quickly retaliated and the attackers sped away in their vehicle from the spot.

More personnel of frontier corps were called in the area to launch a search operation for the militants involved in the attack.

"No arrest has been made so far," the police official said.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Militants in recent days have intensified attacks against security forces and national installations in Balochistan, plagued by an insurgency and growing sectarian killings for more than a decade.

Kharan is considered to be one of the sensitive cities of Balochistan.