At least eight persons were killed and 27 injured on Sunday when a bomb went off in a busy market in the Dera Islamil Khan. The blast occurred at Pir Market, which is located near a bus station. The bomb was planted in a rickshaw and went off at a time when a large number of people were present in the market, officials said. District Coordination Officer Mohsin Shah told reporters that eight persons were killed and over 20 injured in the blast. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital by people in private vehicles. Ambulances also rushed to the site. "We have received eight dead bodies and 27 injured, five of them are very serious," said Mohammad Ashiq Saleem, a senior doctor in the main government hospital in the town. There were also reports of unidentified persons resorting to firing soon after the explosion. According to officials, about five to six kgs of explosives were used in the bomb. No group claimed responsibility for the blast. Dera Ismail Khan has witnessed several bomb attacks on security forces and police. The city has also been hit by sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shias in recent months.