17 killed, over 40 injured in suicide attack in NW Pakistan

Islamabad, May 4 (Xinhua-ANI): At least 17 people were killed and over 40 others injured when a suicide blast ripped through a crowded bazaar in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Bajaur Agency on Friday morning, according to official sources.

An official with the political administration of Bajaur Agency, who asked not to be named, said that 17 people were killed and over 40 others injured in the blast and some of the injured were in critical condition.

Some local media said that around 30 people were killed in the blast, but this is not officially confirmed.

The killed include eight security personnel and nine civilians, said local Urdu TV channel Dawn.

The slightly injured have received medical treatment at the local hospitals while the seriously wounded have been rushed to the hospitals in the neighboring city of Peshawar, the largest city in northwest Pakistan, local officials said.

Both Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack. The prime minister has instructed the hospital administrations to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.

The blast took place at about 8:10 a.m. local time when a suicide bomber, reportedly aged about 14, detonated his suicide jacket while security personnel patrolling at a market in Khar, a major town in Bajaur Agency, stopped him on suspicion and were about to frisk him.

At least five vehicles and four shops were destroyed in the blast, said local media.

The blast caused huge panic in the market area and all the shops and schools in the nearby areas have been closed following the blast.

A curfew was imposed in the area after the attack.

No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack yet.

Friday's suicide blast was the 15th of its kind in Pakistan since this year. Up to date, at least 130 people have reportedly been killed in these attacks. (Xinhua-ANI)