Bomb blast kills 12 in Pakistan

2008-12-05 17:34

Peshawar - At least 12 people were killed and dozens more were wounded when a bomb ripped through a crowded marketplace in the northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar late on Friday, police said.

"Twelve people were killed and up to 70 injured in the bomb blast that took place in a main market in Peshawar city," local police official Shahnawaz Khan said.

According to a security official, the explosion was close to a Shi'ite mosque located in the city's main Qisakhawani bazaar, but it was not clear if it was the target. The market was packed with shoppers preparing for the Eid celebrations.

The blast ripped through a hotel and several adjoining buildings, causing mayhem among a crowd of shoppers in the busy marketplace, police officer Naveed Khalid said.

Peshawar is located close to Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal zones which border Afghanistan and where government forces have been battling pro-Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants.

- AFP