QUETTA, Dec 24: A sub-inspector of Balochistan Police’s Rapid Response Group was killed and seven other personnel were injured in a bomb attack in the city’s Qambrani road area on Friday. DIG (operations) Hamid Shakeel said the RRG personnel were on patrol when the bomb, fitted with a bicycle, was detonated by remote control.

The blast blew up the RRG’s vehicle, killing Sub-Inspector Mohammad Dawood Bangulzai and injuring seven other personnel, he added.

The body and the injured were taken to the Bolan Medical College Hospital. Later, the injured were referred to the Combined Military Hospital where three were reported in serious condition.

A Bomb Disposal Squad official said the bomb used in the attack weighed five kilograms.

Security forces launched a search for attackers after cordoning off the area.

AFP adds: No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Violence has surged this year in the province, which suffers both from insurgency and Taliban attacks.

Hundreds of people have died since nationalists rose up in 2004, demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region’s natural oil, gas and mineral resources.