At least eight people have been killed and 18 others injured by a car bomb in Pakistan's Baluchistan province.

Police said the bomb went off outside a house in Quetta used by the family of former provincial minister Naseer Mengal in Quetta. It is unclear whether the driver was inside the vehicle at the time of the blast.

So far, there has been no word whether Mengal or any members of his family were among the victims. And there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Baluchistan has been in the grip of a regional insurgency for years as separatist militants fight for more autonomy and greater control over natural resources.

The province bordering Iran and Afghanistan also is home to pro-Taliban militants.