The report quoted Ahsan Mehboob, Chief City Police Officer of Quetta, as saying that the blast was of suicide nature. Earlier reports said that it was a remote-control bomb attack.

The blast took place at about 9:50 am on August 31 at a parking lot of a mosque on the Gulistan road in Quetta when a suicide bomber driving an explosive-laden car blew himself up among a lot of cars parked at the parking lot of the mosque.

About 14 cars were destroyed following the huge blast. Nearby buildings were also partially damaged in the explosion.

Most of the people killed or injured in the blast were Shia Muslims who came to the mosque to offer Eid prayers, said police sources, adding that the killed people included one woman and a girl.

Shia Muslim group of Quetta has announced a seven-day mourning following the deadly attack on Shia Muslims, a minority of Muslims in Pakistan.

Police have found a handgrenade while clearing the blast site. Bomb disposal experts said that an estimated 40 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.

No group has claimed the responsibility for the blast yet.