ISLAMABAD - At least five people were killed and 20 others injured when a blast hit a market area in Pakistan's southwest city of Quetta on Thursday morning, reported local Urdu TV channel Geo. ?

The blast took place at about 9:20 am local time when a bomb fixed on a motorbike went off at a market on Sirki Road in Satellite Town of Quetta, local media reports said.

Two policemen and a child were among the five killed and two of the injured were in critical condition, said local media.

An estimated eight to 10 vehicles and some buildings near the blast site were also damaged.

The blast took place near a check post at the market and a vehicle of the Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in the country, was destroyed, said the reports.

Rescue team rushed to the scene shortly after the blast and all the victims were shifted to a civil hospital in the city.

Police have cordoned off the area for a search operation.

So far no group has claimed the responsibility for the attack.