9 killed as bomb hits bus in NW Pakistan

Police officials inspect a damaged van at the site of a bomb blast in the Mattani Bazaar, on the outskirts of Peshawar April 13, 2013. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD, April 13 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and nine others injured when a bomb targeted a passenger bus in Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar on Saturday afternoon, local police said.

Shafi Ullah, Senior Superintendent of Police Rural Peshawar, said that the bomb planted on the bus went off when the bus passed by a market in Mattani area on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

He said that the bus was on its way to the neighboring Kohat district from Peshawar, and most of the
passengers were members of local pro-government militia.

Bomb disposal experts estimated three to five kg explosives were used in the blast.

The injured people including women and kids were rushed to nearby hospital where several of them were said to be in critical condition.

Several vehicles and shops were also damaged in the blast.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

from XINHUA
2013-04-13 20:05:13 

Posted in: Bomb disposal, ISLAMABAD, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mattani, Pakistan, Peshawar