QUETTA: At least one person was killed and 16 others were injured when a bomb went off inside a mosque in Quetta on Thursday.

A bomb was planted next to a pillar inside the  mosque in Ghausabad, a suburban area of the provincial capital and it went off as Asr prayers (evening) got underway, eye-witnesses told DawnNews.

Four of the 16 injured are reportedly in critical condition and have been shifted to nearby hospitals.

A large number of people had gathered at the local mosque to attend sermons, a usual practice on Thursday evenings, in the lead-up to Friday prayers. The blast also damaged parts of the mosque, according to details provided by eye-witnesses.

Police and Frontier Corps have cordoned off the mosque and are carrying out investigations.