By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, (AA):  A suicide bomb blast killed 10 people and left dozens trapped under rubble at the office of a senior official in Pakistan’s northeastern Punjab province on Sunday, police said.

Punjab Home Minister Col. Shuja Khanzada was among the fatalities. Rescuers are looking up to 25 people under the debris of his office in Shadi Khan, northwest of Islamabad.

Police said the blast caused the building to collapse as Khanzada held meetings with supporters. Some reports said the bomber posed as a visitor to get into the building.

Khanzada was at the fore of a campaign to target Pakistan’s Taliban and the group or its affiliates are strongly suspected of carrying out the attack.

The dead also included a senior police officer who was providing security for the minister.

Rescue workers backed by an army search and rescue team dug through the debris to pull out bodies and the injured. They were hampered by a lack of heavy machinery that had to be brought from Rawalpindi, more than 70 kilometers (45 miles) away.

Nine wounded in the blast were said by medics to be in a precarious condition.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered rescuers to speed up the operation.