Pakistani police say a roadside bomb in the southern port city of Karachi has killed at least two people and wounded at least five others.

The blast on November 16 reportedly damaged buildings and triggered panic in the densely populated Malir district.

"A timed device planted underneath a push-cart exploded with a big bang, killing two people and wounding eight others," senior police official Irfan Ali Bahadur told AFP.

Police said vendors at a makeshift market were selling fruit and other items of daily use when the bomb went off nearby. Dozens of people were present at the time.

Police said the dead and wounded were transported to hospitals. At least two of those injured were in critical condition.

Police cordoned off the area after the explosion and bomb disposal officials were called to the scene.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from any group.

Karachi is the capital of Pakistan's southern Sindh Province, where outlawed Islamic militant groups maintain a presence.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP