Islamabad: A powerful car bomb went off in a busy market in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 25 people, including three children, and injuring nearly 60 others.
The blast occurred in a market in Landi Kotal town of Khyber Agency.
Officials at a local hospital said they had received 18 bodies while seven persons died while being taken to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
The children who died were aged between nine and 12 years, officials told the media.
Officials said 57 people were injured and several of them were in a serious condition.
The bomb was hidden in a pick-up truck that was parked in the market. About five kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.
The blast targeted members of the pro-government Zakakhel tribe, who are opposed the banned Lashkar-e-Islam, officials said.
Several shops and cars were destroyed by the blast.
Gas cylinders stored in a shop blew up, triggering a fire.
Police and security forces cordoned off the site and launched a search operation.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Lashkar-e-Islam are active in Khyber Agency.
In a separate development, the bomb disposal squad foiled a terrorist attack by defusing a bomb at Kohat Road in Peshawar.
The bomb was hidden in a pressure cooker that was left on the roadside, officials said.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, June 16, 2012, 13:31