An explosion has killed at least 12 people and injured several others outside a court building in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, police say.

“We are probing what kind of blast it was. It is not clear yet. We will be able to provide more details after we get a report from our forensic team,” a police spokesperson said on Tuesday.

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The blast occurred near the entrance of Islamabad district court, which is typically crowded with a large number of litigants.

Local media showed gory pictures of the site, with bloodied individuals lying near a police van.

“As I parked my car and entered the complex… I heard a loud bang on the gate,” lawyer Rustam Malik said after the blast, which sent people fleeing and damaged vehicles in the area.

“It was complete chaos, lawyers and people were running inside the complex. I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate and several cars were on fire,” said Malik, one of the witnesses who spoke to AFP news agency.

More to come…