4 policemen killed, 11 injured in blast in Pakistan's Quetta

A bomb blast tore through a market near a mosque in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Monday, killing four policeman and injuring 11 others, officials said.

The explosion in the provincial capital Quetta's Satellite Town area occurred when people were assembling for prayers near the mosque.

The bomb was apparently planted on a motorcycle, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema said.

"Four policemen were killed," he said.

Another 11 people were injured in the attack, Provincial Home Minister Ziaullah Langov said.

Security forces cordoned off the area.

There has been sudden spike in violence in Balochistan in recent weeks.

The attack came two days after a terrorist attack on a luxury hotel in the coastal town of Gwadar in which five people were killed while security forces gunned down the three terrorists who stormed the facility.