At least eight persons were killed and over 20 injured today when a bomb went off in a busy market in the restive northwestern Pakistani city of Dera Ismail Khan.
The blast occurred at Pir Market, which is located near a bus station. The bomb was planted in a rickshaw and went off at a time when a large number of people were present in the market, officials said.
District Coordination Officer Mohsin Shah told reporters that eight persons were killed and over 20 injured in the blast. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital by people in private vehicles. Ambulances also rushed to the site.
There were also reports of unidentified persons resorting to firing soon after the explosion.
According to officials, about five to six kgs of explosives were used in the bomb.
ARY news channel quoted an official as saying that a suspect was arrested from the blast site. No group claimed responsibility for the blast.
Dera Ismail Khan has witnessed several bomb attacks on security forces and police. The city has also been hit by sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shias in recent months.
