A cameraman was killed, and a reporter injured, on Friday, when a bomb exploded at a hospital in Quetta, in western Pakistan.

Malik Arif, a cameraman with Pakistan’s Samaa TV, was among at least 10 people killed, when a bomb exploded at the Civil Hospital in Quetta this morning. The television station said at least 50 people were injured in the blast.

A reporter, Noor Elahi Bugti, and a staff member at the channel were among those injured.

The journalists were at the hospital to cover the killing of local bank manager – and son of the Balochistan Shia Conference head – Ashar Zaidi. Zaidi was killed early this morning by armed men traveling in what police said was a white car.

“Arif got word of this targeted killing, and went to the hospital where we had been informed the body had been taken,” a source at Samaa TV, who wished to remain anonymous, told IPI. “There was a bomb explosion and some firing, and he was killed on the spot.”

According to local sources, more than 15 kilos of explosive were used in the explosion and gunshots were fired after the blast. It is unclear who was behind the attack, although police are reportedly combing the city for suspects.

Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan province, and the principal city in Pakistan’s restive southwest. It is believed to be a major center for the leadership of the Afghan Taliban, as well as a center for tensions between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

IPI Deputy-Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said: “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Malik Arif as well as all the victims of today’s tragedy. Arif’s death is a tragic reminder of the perils journalists in Pakistan face and we are encouraged by reports that the police are acting swiftly to find the perpetrators of this senseless attack.”

According to IPI’s Death Watch figures, eight journalists were killed in Pakistan last year, making it the fourth most dangerous country for reporters in 2009.

Last week two journalists were reported missing following an interview with a Taliban commanders in Pakistan’s NorthWest Frontier Province (NWFP). Their whereabouts remain unknown.