At least 14 people, including a high-ranking provincial police officer, lost their lives after a powerful explosion rocked a mosque in north-western Pakistan, local media report, citing police and medical sources.

The blast struck a mosque in a satellite town of Quetta – the regional capital and the largest city of the Pakistani Balochistan province – during the Friday prayers. Police Deputy Superintendent Haji Aman Ullah was among those killed in the explosion, Quetta Deputy Inspector General Abdul Razzaq Cheema told the local media.

#Pakistan : Blast in Madrasa Mosque in Ghousabad #Quetta, 13 people including DSP Amanullah and Imam Masjid killed while more than 20 injured. #Blast#Quettablastpic.twitter.com/23veCHrBAa — Haidar Akarar (@HaidarAkarar) January 10, 2020

Thirteen more people, including the msoque's imam, died in the blast as well, while 20 others were injured, a spokesman of a local civil hospital, Dr Wasim Baig, confirmed. The exact nature of the explosion is still unclear. Balochistan Home Minister Zia Langove has already branded it a terrorist act. Some reports suggested that the high-ranking police officer was the real target of the attack.

The incident came just days after another blast struck Quetta, targeting a vehicle of the Frontier Corps (FC) – a paramilitary group tasked with guarding the border with Afghanistan and Iran, as well as maintaining law and order in the province. Two people were killed and 13 were injured when a bike packed with explosives blew up near the FC car, damaging nearby shops as well.

Hizbul Ahrar, an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for Tuesday's bike-bomb attack. Yet, no one immediately claimed responsibility for Friday's mosque bombing.

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