QUETTA: A powerful bomb blast, near the house of a former federal minister Naseer Mengal, followed by aerial firing killed at least thirteen and injured more than 20 on Friday, DawnNews reported.

Police has said that it was a car bomb blast.

Mengal had served as oil minister during the tenure of former President Pervez Musharraf.

Police cordoned off the blast site on Arbab Akram Khan Road and the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital Quetta.

According to eye witnesses, glasses of nearby buildings were broken and the area was plunged into darkness immediately after the blast.

The shockwave of the blast was felt from long distances and nearby shops were also damaged.

The fire also broke out after the blast which swathed many nearby houses and shops.

Firefighters reached the site and were busy trying to extinguish it.

Ambulances and paramedic staff were busy shifting injured to hospitals.

The surrounding province of Balochistan has experienced a violent insurgency for decades by nationalists who demand more autonomy and a greater share of the province's natural resources.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has demanded a complete inquiry report of the incident.