Quetta, Dec 30 (AP) At least four people were killed and 15 others injured in a bomb blast in Pakistan's central Quetta on Thursday night.

The bomb went off hidden beside a car parked near Science College on Jinnah Road, officials said.

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Jinnah Road is one of Quetta's main thoroughfares and busiest shopping district. Officials are assessing the type of bomb.

The deceased and injured have been shifted to Quetta Civil Hospital. Officials said nearby buildings had broken glasses after the explosion and most of the injured suffered from shrapnel and nail injuries.

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The explosion site is barely 2 km from the four-star Serena Hotel in the city, where a powerful bomb took the lives of five people and injured dozens others in April this year. The Chinese Ambassador was lodged at the hotel at the time but he was away on an official dinner.

The restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces have become the hotbed of terror attacks in recent years, with raising concerns over a spike in attacks after the August 15 takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

The Pakistan Taliban and the Islamic State are active in the region.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)