JOIN USBurqa-clad bombers kill 38 in Pakistan
The bombers blasted their explosive vests within 10 minutes of each other at a distribution point set up by the World Food Programme in Kuccha Pakka area, located 30 km from Hangu city in the North West Frontier Province.
Journalist among dead
Azmat Ali Bangash, a reporter who worked for state-run APP news agency and Samaa TV channel, was among the dead.
Both suicide bombers were clad in burqas, Geo News reported. The head and legs of the bombers and pieces of the burqas worn by them were found by investigators, the channel said.
At least 38 people were killed and 50 others injured by the blasts, officials were quoted as saying by news channels.
The first blast occurred at noon at the food distribution point, where several people were present, said Kohat Commissioner Khalid Khan Umarzai. The second blast, which caused more deaths, went off 10 minutes later when a large number of people gathered at the place to remove bodies and help the injured, he said. Security forces cordoned off the area and an emergency was declared in hospitals in the locality.
Taliban blamed
No group claimed responsibility for the blasts but Taliban are blamed for such attacks.
The blasts came a day after a suicide bomber struck a hospital in the southwestern city of Quetta, killing 11 people and injuring about 40 others. A cameraman for Samaa TV channel was among the dead in Friday’s blast. The bomber struck when a large number of Shias had gathered at the hospital to protest the killing of a Shia banker by gunmen.