At least 5 killed, 24 injured in blast near Data Darbar Sufi shrine in Lahore

At least four people were killed and several others were injured in a blast near famous Sufi shrine Data Darbar in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Tuesday.

The blast took place close one of the largest shrines in South Asia and several people including police officers had been wounded, Punjab province police spokesman Nayab Haider said.

Officials said the blast, one day after the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, targeted police. 

"It was an attack on police that left several dead and dozens of policemen and civilians injured. The target was police," said Syed Mubashir Hussain, a spokesman for the Lahore police. 

The attack follows a period of relative calm in the city, where attacks were at one time common. No casualty details were immediately available but the Dawn newspaper reported that at least five people had been killed.

"A rescue operation is underway and we have shifted 15 people to hospital," said Muhammad Farooq, a spokesman for the city's rescue services.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Sufis have been attacked by hardline Sunni Muslim militants in the past.

(With Reuters inputs)