At least 15 persons were killed and 60 others wounded when two blasts went off in a crowded market here in northwest Pakistan on Saturday night, officials said.
The explosions occurred at Khyber Super Market in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province that has repeatedly been targeted by militants over the past few years.
Officials at the Lady Reading Hospital said they had received nine bodies and 45 wounded. The condition of nine of the injured was described as serious.
Doctors made an emergency appeal for people to donate blood.
Witnesses said the second blast was more powerful and caused most of the casualties. The explosions occurred within minutes of each other at about midnight.
No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. The nature of the explosions could not immediately be ascertained.
The blasts triggered a blaze that was extinguished by fire fighters. Rescue efforts were hampered by a power cut in the area. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
The market was crowded at the time of the blasts as it has several popular eateries and hotels.
Footage on television showed debris and bloodstained clothes lying at the site of the blasts.
An electricity transformer burst into flames and the fire engulfed nearby buildings. The blasts blew out the windows of nearby residential buildings.
No comments:
Post a Comment