ISLAMABAD, April 3 — At least five civilians were killed and several others, including two police personnel, were injured in a blast near a police station in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday night, police said.
The explosion occurred at about 10:40 p.m. local time when an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into the rear wall of a police station in Bannu district, local police sources told Xinhua.
The powerful blast caused the wall of the police station to collapse and shattered windows inside the building, the sources said.
Police opened fire in self-defense following the explosion, while a heavy police contingent rushed to the site and launched a clearance operation.
According to the sources, nearby houses were also damaged in the blast, causing civilian casualties. The injured and bodies of the victims were shifted to a local hospital in Bannu.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, although police said militants linked to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan are active in the area. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
