Date: 19 Sep 2009
25 killed, 65 hurt in Pak attack ;Press Trust of India http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=8&theme=&usrsess=1&id=268945 Islamabad, 18 SEPT: At least 25 people were killed and 65 others injured today when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle in a crowded market in northwest Pakistan. The bomber targeted the Kachcha-Pucca market of Kohat district in North West Frontier Province at a time when a large number of people had gathered to board coaches to travel to their hometowns for the Id-ul-Fitr holidays. District police chief Mr Dilawar Bangash said the suicide attacker drove his jeep into the crowd and detonated the explosives. At least 25 people were killed and 65 others injured in the blast, officials were quoted as saying by the media. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.. Police cordoned off the site of the blast and started a search for accomplices of the suicide attacker. Pieces of human flesh lay scattered all over the market as black smoke engulfed the area. The powerful explosion destroyed almost all the structures in the market. Officials said the death toll could rise as several people were feared to be buried under the debris of a hotel and shops that collapsed due to the blast. Authorities brought in heavy machinery to remove the rubble. The army also joined the rescue operations. An emergency was declared in local hospitals and doctors on leave were recalled for duty. Police officials said up to 150 kg of explosives could have been used in the attack. The blast, heard from five kilometres away, caused panic in Kohat city. Officials said the attack might have been carried out by militants in retaliation for operations launched against the Taliban in the nearby Orakzai tribal region. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the blast and said the perpetrators of the crime would not be spared. President Zardari, who is currently in London on an official visit, said the government would leave no stone unturned to find the culprits and give them severe punishment. Mr Gilani described the attack as a cowardly act of terrorism and expressed his government's determination to stamp out terrorism and militancy. He asked authorities to conduct inquiry into the incident 000000000