Nov 01, Kathmandu- Seven people, including five children, were killed in a bomb blast targeting policemen who were protecting polio vaccine recipients in the western region of Pakistan, police said.

The police said that a bomb was detonated targeting officials traveling in a van to protect health workers participating in the nationwide vaccination campaign in Mastung city of Balochistan province.

"Seven people have been killed, including a police officer, five children and a shopkeeper," senior city official Abdul Fatah told AFP.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion. Polio outbreaks still persist in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, and vaccination teams have been repeatedly targeted by militants fighting security forces.