LAHORE, Pakistan -- Pakistani authorities said a suicide bombing in eastern Punjab province has killed six people, including two census workers and four soldiers escorting them.

A local police official, Mohammad Afzal, said the attack took place on Wednesday morning, April 5, on the outskirts of Lahore, the provincial capital.

He added that 15 people were also wounded in the blast.

Punjab government spokesman Malik Ahmad Khan confirmed it was a suicide attack.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Pakistan launched the national census last month, the country's first in 19 years. Tens of thousands of data collectors, supported by 200,000 Pakistani soldiers, go door-to-door for the project, which is to be finished by May 15.

However, societal conservatism and a lack of women census takers could result in Pakistan's female population being under-represented. (AP)