QUETTA: Seven paramilitary troops were martyred by a blast Tuesday near a site in Sibi where the president had visited less than half an hour earlier, officials said.

The so-called Islamic State group claimed responsibility on its Telegram channels, saying one of its fighters detonated an explosive belt at a gathering of security forces.

Officials said the latest assault was in Sibi district, less than 800 metres (yards) from where President Arif Alvi attended a function earlier in the day.

Seven members of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary were killed, according to senior police official Dostain Dashti.

“The explosion happened some 25 minutes after the president left the area,” he told AFP, adding that initial investigations suggested it was a suicide attack.

Hashim Ghilzai, a senior administration official from Balochistan, confirmed the death toll.