QUETTA, July 24: A suspected suicide bomber was killed and four others, including a woman, were injured in a powerful explosion in Chaman near the Afghanistan border on Sunday.

“The device the man was carrying on his person went off minutes after he entered the Pakistani area from across the border,” Nasibullah Achakzai, a Pakistani security official posted in Chaman, told this correspondent.

The Frontier Corps closed the border with Afghanistan after the incident and declared high alert deploying more troops close to the border area.

According to sources, two Afghans crossed the “Friendship Gate” and entered Pakistan from the Spin Buldak area of Afghanistan at around 2pm. They were on their way to Chaman. When they crossed the Friendship Gate area a powerful explosion rocked the neighbourhood and one person was blown to pieces.

“Mutilated limbs were strewn around in the area after the blast,” a security official of levies said.

He added that four other persons, including a woman, suffered serious injuries who were rushed to the Civil Hospital Chaman for treatment.

Officials believe the man wanted to blow up oil tankers parked near the border which supply fuel to American forces in Afghanistan.

“He might have wanted to explode himself at some important place in Chaman or Quetta for massive destruction,” Mir Ahmed Nausherwani, a senior official of Chaman administration, said.

One person identified as Haji Bashir and who crossed the border with the suspected terrorist has been arrested, he added. He has identified the bomber as Bashir Nurzai.

He told investigators that they belonged to the Rabat area of Spin Buldak. He said he was on his way to Quetta along with Bashir Nurzai after purchasing watermelon and melons from Rabat but when they crossed into Pakistani area a powerful explosion took place and his colleague was blown to pieces.

Those who suffered injuries were passers-by, the sources said.

A Pakistani security official told AFP: “We are investigating if the detained person was an accomplice of the terrorist.”

Fuel truck driver Mir Alam told reporters the bomber apparently died when the device he carried exploded prematurely.

“A man came close to our tanker and the device went off. He died in the blast,” Alam said.