GILGIT, Sept 26 Four people were killed and several others injured on Saturday in a bomb blast and violent protests that followed, police said.

The bomb went off in a bookshop in a busy market on the Airport Road, injuring four people. They were taken to the DHQ hospital where one of them died.

Gilgit police chief Khurshid Alam said it was a locally-made device.

After the blast, protesters took to the streets and pelted the police with stones. They blocked various roads and set tyres on fire. Police fired into the air and used tear gas to disperse the protesters.

According to Police Superintendent Ali Sher, two policemen were killed when some protesters opened fire on a police van.

A 15-year-old boy, Kamran Hussain, was also killed.

Security has been beefed up in Gilgit and Punjab Rangers and police have increased patrolling on roads. Tension ran high in the area after the violence.

Some suspects were taken into custody for interrogation.

According to APP, the man killed in the bookshop was Akbar Hussain.