Islamabad: A powerful explosion hit an election office in Pakistan’s southwest Pishin district of Balochistan province on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people while injuring over 30 others, police and government officials said.

Confirming the casualties, Deputy Commissioner Pishin Juma Dad Khan Mandukhel told Xinhua that the explosion happened when workers and supporters of an independent candidate were gathered outside his election office in Khanozai area of Pishin district.

The official said as per initial investigation, an explosive device planted in a motorcycle was detonated with a remote-controlled device, adding that law enforcement agencies are probing the incident to determine the exact nature of the blast.

Following the incident, security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals in the district. A state of emergency has also been imposed in all the hospitals in the district.

According to hospital sources, the death toll might further rise as several among the injured are in a critical condition.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Taking notice of the terror attack, the provincial Home Minister Mir Zubair Khan Jamali expressed regret over the loss of lives.