Five killed, 24 injured in Peshawar blast

At least five persons were killed and 24 others including seven children and 11 women were injured when a power bomb exploded in Hazar Khawani area of Peshawar on Thursday. Rescue sources said the pressure cooker bomb was planted in a handcart which was parked near Panj Pirano Ziarat. At the time of blast, a large numbers of male and female devotees were present near the graves of old Sufi saints. The blast resulted in killing of five persons and injuring 24 others. The powerful blast also damaged the boundary wall of the graveyard. The blast caused fear and panic among the residents as its sound was echoed in the surrounding localities. Soon after the blast Edhi ambulances and rescue 1122 squad rushed to the blast site and shifted the injured persons to Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar for emergency medical treatment. Some of the injured were stated to be in critical condition. Those who were killed were identified as Zahir Shah, Muzammil Shah and Kamil Shah and two others while those who were injured included Basit Haider, Tofail,Syed Shah Bahar Shah, Fatima, Azmat Shah, Farooq, Rani, Naila, Ajmal, Zeeshan, Kashif, Atiq, Haider Ali, Sombal Noman and Mukhtiar. Police and Bomb Disposal Squad rushed to the blast site and cordoned off the area. SSP Operations Tahir Ayub said that that main target of the blast was the gathering of people. According to Bomb Disposal Squad around 10 kilograms of explosives materials were used in the attack. They said that the bomb was placed in pressure cooker which blew up with a huge blast. It is worth mentioning here that earlier to this Rahman Baba mausoleum was targeted in the same graveyard when unknown persons planted explosives material.