21 killed in Pakistan blast
Islamabad (PTI): At least 21 people were killed and over 20 injured when a suspected suicide bomber attacked a truck carrying security personnel and ammunition in the Swat region of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) on Thursday.
The dead in the blast, which took place near the police lines in Mingora town, included 16 Frontier Constabulary men and some civilians, Dawn News channel quoted officials as saying.
Officials in NWFP said the toll could rise while some unconfirmed reports said that 30 people had died in the attack, suspected to have been carried out by a suicide bomber.
The truck was taking 31 Frontier Constabulary men and arms and ammunition from the police lines in Mingora to Barikot.
The explosion damaged several shops and vehicles and set the truck on fire. The initial blast was followed by a series of explosions as the ammunition in the truck went off, officials said.
The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals and several of them were said to be in critical condition.
The attack came a day after thousands of troops were deployed in the Swat valley to counter the activities of pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah and his Shaheen Commando Force.
