QALAT (PAN): At least six civilians were killed in separate bomb blasts in Zabul and Nimroz provinces, officials said on Thursday.

Four civilians were killed when a roadside bomb ripped through their vehicle in the Saadullah Khan Qala area of Meezan district in Zabul Wednesday afternoon, said the governor's spokesman.

Another three civilians were wounded in the explosion, said Muhammad Jan Rasoolyar. The injured were taken by foreign troops to their health facility in neighbouring Kandahar province.

NATO's media office in Kabul confirmed the attack on civilian vehicle. In a statement, the International Security Assistance Force said the injured were being treated at its health facility.

In Nimroz province, two people were killed in a similar incident on Wednesday, the statement added. The blast happened in the Khashrud district.

Also on Wednesday, at least 25 civilians on a passenger bus were killed when the vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the Dilaram district of the province. Another 20 were wounded.

Civilian casualties are on the rise due to increased roadside bomb blasts, clashes between security forces and insurgents and airstrikes by foreign troops.

Nearly 52 civilians were killed in flawed mortar shelling by NATO forces in the Sangin district of Helmand province on Friday.

ma/mud