“The blast took place at a bus stop and it seems the bomb was planted,” said Raheem Khan, a police inspector. — File Photo

PESHAWAR: A bomb ripped through a passenger vehicle parked at a bus terminal near the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Sunday, killing six people and wounding 11 others, police said.

The bomb was planted at the terminal near a market in Matani, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Peshawar, which lies near Pakistan's lawless tribal region on the Afghan border, senior police officer Kalam Khan said.

“We have reports that six people were killed and 11 wounded,” khan told AFP. He said rescue teams had been sent to the area.

Peshawar police chief Mohammad Ijaz said a remote controlled device was used in the bombing.

“It appears to be a remote controlled bomb placed in a passenger vehicle waiting to leave for a rural area,” he said, adding that three other vehicles were also damaged.

He quoted witnesses as saying a man boarded the vehicle and left after leaving a package inside, telling people that he would be back soon.

Shortly afterwards a huge blast ripped through the vehicle. The casualties were mostly among the passengers, he added.

The dead included three women and one child, he said, adding that the wounded also included two women.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Pakistan's Taliban have carried out several bloody attacks to avenge the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by US commandos north of Islamabad on May 2.

Ijaz said five kilogrammes (11 pounds) of explosives were used in Sunday's bombing.

Insurgents have in the past targeted members of anti-militant tribal militia known as lashkar.

But Ijaz said no tribal elder was there at the time of blast and the identity of the target was not immediately known.

Opinion

Editorial

Military convictions
Updated 22 Dec, 2024

Military convictions

Pakistan’s democracy, still finding its feet, cannot afford such compromises on core democratic values.
Need for talks
22 Dec, 2024

Need for talks

FOR a long time now, the country has been in the grip of relentless political uncertainty, featuring the...
Vulnerable vaccinators
22 Dec, 2024

Vulnerable vaccinators

THE campaign to eradicate polio from Pakistan cannot succeed unless the safety of vaccinators and security personnel...
Strange claim
Updated 21 Dec, 2024

Strange claim

In all likelihood, Pakistan and US will continue to be ‘frenemies'.
Media strangulation
Updated 21 Dec, 2024

Media strangulation

Administration must decide whether it wishes to be remembered as an enabler or an executioner of press freedom.
Israeli rampage
21 Dec, 2024

Israeli rampage

ALONG with the genocide in Gaza, Israel has embarked on a regional rampage, attacking Arab and Muslim states with...