Islamabad, Dec 11 (IANS): At least one person was killed and eight others were wounded in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, police said.

According to police officials in the area on Saturday, the blast happened in a local market in the Awaran district of the province, killing a shopkeeper on the spot and injuring several others.

The IED was planted in a shop and was detonated with a remote-controlled device, said the police, adding that a woman and a child are among the injured, Xinhua news agency reported.

Police, security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site immediately after the blast and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital.

Police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation in the surroundings to arrest the culprits.

Taking notice of the incident, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo condemned the attack and sought a report from the concerned authorities.

The official said that innocent shoppers were targeted in the attack and the culprits will be arrested soon and prosecuted as per the law.

A banned militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack.