9 injured in blast at mosque in southwest Pakistan

A powerful blast at a mosque in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province's Chaman area on Wednesday injured at least nine people, including the prayer leader, according to police.

The blast occurred at the time of evening prayers in the mosque, which is located on Taj Road in Chaman, bordering Afghanistan.

At least nine people, including the mosque's prayer leader, were injured as a result of the blast, which rocked the entire neighbourhood, Dawn reported.

The blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) hidden inside the mosque, it said, quoting police sources.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where a state of emergency has been declared.

A video shared on Twitter appears to show the damage caused by the explosion in the mosque.

Authorities have cordoned off the site of the explosion.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.

Chaman is considered a sensitive town in Balochistan as it shares a border with Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province.

Security was tightened on Wednesday across the country to avert any tragedy on the occasion of the Eid Milad-un Nabi, marking the birth anniversary of the Prophet.

Mobile phone services were shut down in major cities to prevent terror attacks during the celebrations, in the wake of a suicide attack in neighbouring Afghanistan on Tuesday that killed over 50 people, mostly clerics.