A man was killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) that he was carrying exploded near the deputy commissioner's office in the Kotri city of Sindh's Jamshoro district early on Thursday morning, officials said.

Jamshoro DC Farid Mustafa confirmed the incident, saying that according to police and Rangers, the deceased was identified as Allah Bux.

As the IED exploded, the man died on the spot, not too far from the DC office, he told Dawn.com, adding that if the device was successfully planted, "it would have caused destruction and loss of life as people start visiting my office in the morning".

Separately, Jamshoro SSP Javed Baloch told Dawn.com that the IED exploded in the alleged suspect's hand and a part of his hand "blew up". He was also allegedly carrying a remote control which was to be used for exploding the device, the SSP said.

He added the "suspect" had gone missing five months ago but his family hadn't reported his disappearance to the police.

According to bomb disposal squad official Ramzan Kanwar, 200 to 300 grams of explosives and ball bearings were packed in a canister to make the IED.

He told Dawn.com that the deceased's body was "badly damaged" in the explosion.

SSP Baloch said no group had claimed responsibility for the incident so far, but the involvement of the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army, which had been claiming blasts targeting officials and railway tracks in Sindh, could not be ruled out.

Bomb disposal squad official Kanwar also pointed out that the main line of the upcountry and down-country railway also passes at some distance from the DC office.