A suicide bombing at a funeral for a policeman in south-western Pakistan kills at least 28 people

A suicide bombing at a funeral for a policeman in south-western Pakistan has killed at least 28 people including a senior police officer according to Pakistani authorities.

They say that the blast in Quetta, capital of Balochistan, also wounded at least 50 people.Quetta police chief Mir Zubair Mehmood told the AP news agency that the bomber detonated his explosives just before the funeral service was about to start.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack.However suspicion is likely to fall on the Taliban who have in the past carried out numerous suicide bombings in Balochistan.

The province is plagued not just by the Taliban's insurgency, but also by sectarian in-fighting between Sunnis and Shias and a rebellion by Baloch separatists. On Tuesday separatist gunmen killed at least 13 bus passengers near Quetta.

Deputy Inspector General of police Fayaz Sumbal, one of the most senior officers in Quetta, was among those killed according to Police.The incident was captured live by some television channels which were covering the funeral.

Most of those killed and wounded were policemen. Correspondents say that the bomb marks the culmination of a bloody Ramadan in Pakistan, with more than 90 people killed in at least 11 attacks during the month.