Mine kills five Pakistan soldiers: officials

QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) – A landmine killed five paramilitary soldiers and wounded four others in Pakistan's insurgency-plagued province of Baluchistan on Thursday, security officials said.

The blast happened in a hilly area home to dozens of coalfields, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Quetta, the capital of the southwestern province that borders Afghanistan and Iran.

"Our vehicle hit a mine, killing five soldiers and injuring four others," a Frontier Corps (FC) official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"The vehicle was returning to Quetta after delivering food supplies to soldiers stationed in the area," he said.

One of the injured is in a serious condition, he added.

Another security official confirmed the mine blast.

"We have received reports that five FC men were killed and four others injured in the landmine explosion," he said.

Mine explosions are fairly frequent in Baluchistan -- rife with Islamist militancy, sectarian violence and regional insurgency.

Hundreds of people have died since Baluch rebels rose up in 2004, lashing out against the central government, demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region's wealth of natural resources.