Islamabad: A powerful car bomb on Monday went off in a crowded market in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan, killing 17 people and injuring 50 others, officials said. The explosives-laden car, parked at Fauji Market in Jamrud area of Khyber Agency, went off with a loud bang.
The market was crowded at the time of the explosion, witnesses and security officials said. The dead and injured included women and children. Officials said 10 of the injured were in a serious condition.
More than 10 cars were destroyed and several shops damaged by the explosion. Footage on television showed a column of black smoke rising into the sky as ambulances rushed to the market to ferry the injured and bodies to nearby hospitals.
Security forces cordoned off the area as traders closed their shops. Troops conducted a search operation as officials scoured the site for clues. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Several militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam, are active in Khyber Agency.
Also, A senior government official and two policemen were killed in two separate shootings at Quetta city in southwest Pakistan on Monday, officials said.
Khadim Hussain, Deputy Director of the Public Relations Department, was on his way to work when unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle fired at his vehicle at Shahra-e-Iqbal in Quetta. Hussain was seriously injured and died while being taken to hospital.
The gunmen who attacked Hussain were intercepted by policemen on Jinnah Road. Two policemen were killed and another injured in an exchange of fire.
The attackers managed to escape, officials said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the government official. (PTI)