At least seven, including four children injured in Peshawar blast

Peshawar, The Gulf Observer: A roadside blast in Peshawar has injured seven people including four children near a school and a bank on Tuesday, according to the media reports.

According to the police, the blast took place around 9:10 A.M. at the Warsak Road in Peshawar. The police said the blast took place due to an explosion of explosives.

At least two children among the injured, shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital, are in critical condition, the hospital’s spokesperson told Geo News.

The ages of the children, they added, are between 7 to 10 years.

Speaking with media, Superintendent Police Arshad Khan — who was present at the incident — said the blast took place around 9:10am and the explosives were planted at the roadside.

The explosives used in the blast weighed 4kg and were hidden in a cement block on the roadside, he said.

Khan added that the police have started a search operation in the surrounding areas. “The element of extortion is also being considered in the blast.”

“It would be premature to say who was the target,” SP Arshad Khan said speaking with journalists.

Following the explosion, police and Rescue 1122 teams rushed to the site of the incident in the Babu Garhi area in Peshawar.

Rescue officials told media that the glass of two vehicles and nearby buildings was broken due to the intensity of the explosion.

Mayor Metropolitan Zubair Ali told journalists that the explosion near a school was an attempt to disturb peace and order.

“The explosion near educational institutions is unfortunate.”