At least seven people, including a chairman of a union council (UC), were killed in a landmine blast targeting a vehicle in Balochistan’s Panjgur district on Monday night, officials said.

       Deputy Commissioner of Panjgur, Amjad Somro, told Dawn.com that miscreants had planted a remote explosive device to target a vehicle carrying Balgatar UC Chairman Ishtiaq Yaqoob and others who were returning from a wedding ceremony.

       As the vehicle reached Chakar Bazar in the Balgatar area, the device detonated, resulting in the loss of lives, he said.

       According to Levies, the deceased were identified as Mohammad Yaqoob, Ibrahim, Wajid, Fida Hussain, Sarfaraz and Haider, who were residents of Baltagar and Panjgur.

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       They said four of the deceased remained unidentified, but their identities were later established through their relatives at a hospital.

       The Levies said the investigation of the blast was underway.

       The attack comes amid a surge in terrorist activities across the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the outlawed militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November.