It was not clear whether the vehicle was intentionally targeted. — Photo by AFP/File

QUETTA: A landmine explosion next to a small pickup truck in Pakistan's southwest killed five people and wounded 18, an official said.

Government official Shoaib Jadoon said the blast went off in the Dera Bugti area of Balochistan province. All the victims were civilians.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion. It was not clear whether the vehicle was intentionally targeted.

The Dera Bugti area is a hotspot for an ethnic Baloch-led insurgency that wants the province to have more autonomy and a greater share of the money derived from its natural resources.

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