Deadly blast hits Shia Ashura procession in Pakistan

At least 16 people have been killed during a procession to mark a Shia religious holiday in the Pakistani province of Sindh.

The blast on Friday, which struck worshipers marking Ashura in the city of Jacobabad, also wounded 30 people.

A police official told the AFP news agency that the procession was targeted by a suicide bomber.

The attack came despite more than 10,000 extra police officers being deployed to guard Shia processions during Ashura.

Pakistan's Shia minority, who make up about 20 percent of the total population, are frequently targeted by Sunni groups, including the Pakistani Taliban.

The armed groups consider Shias to be heretics and have demanded the government stops classifying them as Muslims.

In January, at least 49 people were killed in an explosion during Friday prayers at a mosque in Shikarpur, which is also in Sindh province.

Ashura marks the anniversary of the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein, who was killed at the battle of Karbala more than 1,300 years go.

Shias consider it a day of mourning, and mark the day with processions and reenactments of his death.

Al Jazeera and wire services