Two people were killed and 11 others were injured in an explosion in the Killi Mangal area near Quetta in Balochistan, a police official told Dawn.com on Saturday.

According to Hanna Urak Station House Officer (SHO) Naveed Akhtar, Abdul Salam, a notable and the owner of a coal mine, was the target of the attack.

“A banned organisation tried to extort money from him,” Akhtar told Dawn.com. “When he did not pay, around 100 armed suspects attacked his mine and destroyed the machinery there.”

The SHO said that Salam, his brother and several of his men arrived at the mine, but were ambushed by the suspects and a gun battle ensued.

“The armed suspects had planted explosives in the mine,” the SHO said. “They fled the scene before the explosion. Salam and his brother were killed by one of the explosives. There were also 11 injuries.”

Immediately after the explosion, police and security forces reached the scene and started collecting evidence from the crime scene. According to SHO Akhtar, the suspects were armed with advanced weaponry.

“Security forces have launched a search operation in the area, but panic has spread,” he added.

Meanwhile, Health Department spokesperson Dr Waseem Baig told Dawn.com that those injured in the blast were immediately transported to the Trauma Centre at Civil Hospital Quetta, where their condition is said to be out of danger.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari issued a statement condemning the blast and expressing “deep sorrow over the loss of two lives”.

“Those who spill innocent blood at the behest of the enemy deserve no mercy,” the PPP chairman was quoted as saying.

The security situation in Balochistan has worsened in recent months, as militants, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, in particular, has adopted new tactics to inflict higher casualties and directly target Pakistani security forces.

A district official was killed when his house was attacked by terrorists in Balochistan’s Surab city on Friday, a statement from the provincial government said.

Balochistan Government Spokesperson Shahid Rind, in a statement, termed the incident a “nefarious attempt to challenge the writ of the state”.

“A bank was looted and the homes of several government officials were attacked, including Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hidayatullah Buledi.