Karachi has a history of suicide bombings and attacks on religious parades and Sufi shrines [REUTERS]

Two policemen have been killed after three suicide bombers blew themselves up in their car in the southern Pakistan port city of Karachi, the home minister said.

The bombing took place on Wednesday when the car was intercepted by police in the upscale Karachi Sea View neighbourhood.

"Three suicide bombers were killed when they blew up their car in Sea View area," Manzoor Wassan, the home minister, said.

"We had intelligence information that suicide bombers were trying to enter Karachi to launch attacks in the holy month of Muharram and had accordingly alerted the police," he said.

Police signalled a car to stop at a checkpoint, but the driver sped away and police chased them, he said, adding that when police cornered the vehicle, its occupants blew it up.

One policeman was killed and another was wounded, he said.

The wounded policeman later died in hospital, Shaukat Hussain, a senior police official, said.

"We have found a suicide vest with explosives, hand grenades and other things from the wreckage of the vehicle," he said.

"We have also found some human limbs and investigating if these were of another suicide bomber," he added.

Karachi has a history of suicide bombings and attacks on religious parades and Sufi shrines.