QUETTA A man was killed and six people were injured when unidentified attackers lobbed a hand grenade at a police patrol in remote southwestern Pakistan, police said on Sunday.

The grenade attack occurred late Saturday in the town of Khuzdar, some 330 kilometres (205 miles) south of Quetta, the capital of restive Balochistan province on the border with Afghanistan and Iran.

'The police patrol was the target, but the grenade was tossed over the vehicles roof, fell in front of some shops and exploded, killing a passerby and injuring six other people,' senior police official Rehmat Ullah told AFP.

Another grenade exploded in almost the same spot, but it caused no casualties or damage, he said.
Police are investigating the incident but have thus far made no arrests, he said.

Hundreds of people have died in violence in Balochistan since an insurgency flared in late 2004, with rebels demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the regions natural resources.

The province has also been hit by attacks blamed on Taliban militants and sectarian extremists.