25 killed, 65 injured in Pak suicide attack

ISLAMABAD: At least 25 people were killed and 65 others injured on Friday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle in a crowded market in northwest Pakistan.

The bomber targeted the Kachcha-Pucca market of Kohat district in North West Frontier Province at a time when a large number of people had gathered to board coaches to travel to their hometowns for the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. District police chief Dilawar Bangash said the suicide attacker drove his jeep into the crowd and detonated the explosives.

At least 25 people were killed and 65 others injured in the blast, officials were quoted as saying by the media. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police cordoned off the site of the blast and started a search for accomplices of the suicide attacker. Pieces of human flesh lay scattered all over the market as black smoke engulfed the area.

The powerful explosion destroyed almost all the structures in the market. Officials said the death toll could rise as several people were feared to be buried under the debris of a hotel and shops that collapsed due to the blast. Authorities brought in heavy machinery to remove the rubble.