By KUNA,
Islamabad : More than 25 people including children weere killed and several were wounded in a bomb blast in northern Pakistan on Thursday that took place only an hour after a huge suicide blast here wounded five persons.
A police van carrying 15 prisoners was heading towards the Jail when unknown militants targeted it with a remote-controlled bomb in Der Bala area near Sawat valley, where security forces were conducting operations against militants, police sources told KUNA.
Sources said that nearby school children also fell prey to the blast and a large number of wounded include school children.
State-run Pakistan Television (PTV) said that the blast killed 25 to 30 people.
However, police sources could only confirm the killing of 15 people including two policemen and three children. They said a large number of school children were wounded in the incident and they were rushed to the nearby hospital.
The timing of the blast coincides with suicide explosion that wounded five policemen in Islamabad and while the government is holding in-camera briefing to decide the future fate of anti-terrorism strategy. It occurred hours after military gunship helicopters pounded several militants’ hideouts in Sawat district, killing more than 20 militants and wounding several others.