QUETTA: Five people were killed and 28 more injured, including women and children, in a explosion at Almo Chowk here on Friday afternoon, police said.

The dead and injured, all passersby and shopkeepers in the area, were taken to Civil Hospital Quetta. At least three of the injured were in critical condition. Two of the injured passed away while under treatment.

According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Police Quetta Chaudhary Manzoor, around 5 kilograms of explosives were used in the blast.

The blast went off outside a shop in the crowded Almo Chowk market as locals were busy in Ramazan and pre-Eid shopping. An initial investigation revealed the bomb was planted on a bicycle.

The impact damaged windows and walls of the nearby shops and homes in the marginalised neighbourhood.

"All the victims are civilians. A major aim of terrorists is to create panic among the people," the DIG said.

Police, Frontier Corps personnel and rescue teams reached the site of the explosion as an investigation into the incident went underway.

Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri strongly condemned the blast and ordered police to apprehend the culprits involved in the terror attack.