Blast kills eight people in Bajaur Agency

At least eight people have been killed while another 22 sustained injuries on Thursday when an explosion took place in the Pashat market of Salarzai area in Bajaur Agency.

According to the media reports the market is owned by Shahabuddin Khan who is considered to be a pro-government. He, who was formerly affiliated with Awami National Party (ANP), is leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Officials say initial indications suggest that the blast was caused by a remote-controlled device.

One person was killed on the spot while seven others succumbed to their injuries after reaching the hospital. According to the eye witnesses, five shops and two vehicles were destroyed due to impact of the blast.

A political administration official while talking to the media said that it was not clear what type of explosion it was. He, however, said that it appeared to be an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which had detonated when people were busy purchasing daily use items in the market.

Following the incident, authorities concerned including security personnel and rescue workers rushed to the area and cordoned off the blast-site.

An official of the security forces at the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Khar said there were two children among those killed in the incident. He further said three out of 22 injured brought to the hospital were reported to be in critical condition and were shifted to Peshawar for further treatment.

He further said that there was a possibility that the number of causalities might increase. He confirmed that the there was no security official died or injured and all victims were civilians.

The Salarzai are a pro-government tribe and have been on the hit list of militants for a long time.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the local Taliban have carried out previous attacks in the region targeting groups supporting Pakistani army strikes against militants.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jul 26 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.