Story highlights

The blast takes place in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan

The suspected suicide bomber was trying to get on a bus, police say

His explosive-laden jacket went off prematurely, killing him and another man

Police say they believe he planned to travel to the provincial capital

CNN  — 

A suspected suicide bomber killed himself and one other person Thursday when his explosive-laden jacket went off prematurely in Pakistan’s violence-riven Balochistan province, police said.

The blast took place in Kuchlak, a town about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, as the suicide bomber was about to board a bus, said Fayyaz Sumbal, a deputy inspector general of police in the province.

“The suicide bomber was trying to come to Quetta from Kuchlak to cause maximum damage when the blast happened,” Sumbal said.

The explosion seriously wounded two people standing nearby, one of whom died of his injuries on the way to hospital, according to Sumbal.

During recent national elections, the province bordering Afghanistan saw violent attacks on voters going to polls. Bombers struck voters who had just cast their ballots as well as candidates and their supporters, and a gunfight broke out at a polling station.

In addition to sectarian attacks on Shiites, unrest in the province in the country’s southwest is believed to be fomented by several insurgent groups, including the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban.