At least 14 people, mostly Pakistan Air Force personnel, were killed on Tuesday when a powerful bomb ripped through their bus in Peshawar in the restive northwestern region.
Eleven others were also injured when the PAF bus, which was heading to a base near Peshawar, was attacked on a bridge in Kohat Road locality, police said. Many of the dead and injured were PAF personnel.
Pakistani media said at least 14 people, including a young girl, had died.
Inspector General of Police Muhammad Naveed Malik told reporters in Peshawar that 13 people were killed and 11 others injured in the attack and added that the death toll could rise as some of the injured were in a serious condition.
The bomb was planted under the bridge and triggered by remote control. The powerful explosion tore a large hole in the bridge, reducing the truck to a smoldering wreck.
The explosion also uprooted electricity poles on the bridge and hit other cars and motorcycles.
The PAF said in a statement that about 10 of its personnel, including airmen and civilians, were in the vehicle, which was used for carrying ration and utilities. However, it did not gave details of the number of PAF personnel who were killed or injured.
The incident was being investigated, the statement added.The injured were rushed to hospitals in Peshawar. Many of the bodies were charred beyond recognition. An emergency was declared in the hospitals.
No group has till now claimed responsibility for the attack but such strikes are usually blamed on the local Taliban.
Security forces sealed off the site of the blast soon after the attack and investigators began scouring the area. Officials said up to 30 to 40 kg of explosives could have been used in the attack.
The site of the attack is close to Mattani, a suburb of the North West Frontier Province capital where security forces recently carried out a major operation against militants. The paramilitary Frontier Corps has been deployed in Mattani police station with heavy weaponry and artillery.
The Taliban had recently blown up a major power pylon in the same area, cutting off electricity supply to many parts of Peshawar over the past few days.
NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani and Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti strongly condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the loss of lives.
They said the elements behind this "heinous act cannot escape from the clutches of law and would soon be brought to justice".
A wave of suicide attacks has killed almost 1,000 people in Pakistan over the past year.
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