Bomb Blast Hits Government Bus In Northern Pakistan, Killing 19

Bomb blast hits government bus in northern Pakistan, killing 19 < br />

2012-06-10 02:21:23 GMT+7 (ICT)

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Nineteen people were killed in northern Pakistan on Friday afternoon when a powerful bomb blast ripped through a bus carrying government employees, local authorities said on Saturday. More than 40 others were injured.

The targeted bus was rented by the government to transport employees of the Civil Secretariat between Charsadda district and Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and one of the most populous cities in Pakistan. The explosion took place at around 12:45 p.m. local time as the bus entered the village of Gul Bela.

Police said a total of 64 people were on board the bus at the time of the explosion, which occurred inside the bus. Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told a press conference that the explosive device was homemade and was likely placed under the vehicle, although it is not known if those responsible knew the bus was to be rented by the government.

Police superintendent Safiullah Khan said nineteen people were killed, including six women, and 42 others were injured. Local residents responded quickly and transported victims in their own vehicles to local hospitals, where emergencies were declared. Some Pakistani news reports said locals had repeatedly called emergency numbers, but no help arrived for some 40 minutes.

On Thursday, at least fifteen people were killed and 48 others were injured when a powerful bomb exploded outside a Sunni Muslim seminary near the Balochistan University in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan. It occurred near the Jamia Islamia Maftah-ul-Uloom seminary, where students had gathered for a graduation ceremony.

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