-      Suicide bomber kills at least 6, wounds 18 in Pakistan's east

-      Bomber hits army vehicle taking part in census

-      Two bystanders among the dead

-      A series of blasts have killed scores in Pakistan this year

A suicide bomber killed at least six people and wounded 18 when he blew himself up near an army vehicle taking part in a census in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, officials in the area said.

Punjab government spokesman Malik Ahmed Khan told Geo TV that four soldiers and two civilian bystanders were among the dead.

TV footage showed security personnel blocking off the street around the site of the explosion, close to a market.

The blast, the latest in a series that has killed scores of people in Pakistan since the beginning of the year, follows an attack in Lahore last month that killed at least 13 and wounded dozens more.

There was no initial claim of responsibility for the explosion, which some television stations initially said had been caused by a gas leak.