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Police in southwestern Pakistan say a bomb has exploded in a two-story hotel killing at least 11 people, and injuring more than 20 others.

Authorities say the explosion occurred in the town of Dera Allah Yar in Baluchistan province.

The death toll could rise as several people are believed to be trapped in the rubble of the hotel which was completely destroyed.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. The town is located about 300 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Quetta.

Elsewhere in the province, police say gunmen on motorcycles shot dead a local journalist in the town of Khuzdar.

Baluchistan province has seen a recent surge in violence linked to a separatist insurgency, sectarian clashes and Taliban militants.

In other violence, officials say suspected militants have launched a rocket attack on a paramilitary base in the country's northwest, killing three soldiers and wounding at least 23 others.

Authorities say the rockets hit a base in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan's restive tribal area, as Independence Day ceremonies got underway.