Truck bomb leaves 11 dead in troubled region

A TRUCK packed with explosives blew up in a crowded market in north-western Pakistan yesterday, killing 11 people.

The blast in Salarzai town in the Bajur tribal area near the Afghan border also wounded nearly two dozen people, some of them critically, and damaged several vehicles and shops, said Jehangir Azam, a local government administrator. It’s unclear whether the attack was a suicide bombing, or if the explosives were detonated by remote control, he added. No group has claimed responsibility.

A shop owner who was injured in the explosion, Sher Mohammed, was sitting in his store when he saw a pick-up truck enter the bazaar. Minutes later he heard a loud detonation.

“Something hurt my arm, chest and leg, and I fell down,” said Mr Mohammed. “When I opened my eyes, I found myself on this hospital bed.”