At least seven people were killed and nine injured on Monday after a powerful bomb blast ripped through the office of a peace committee in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.
The bomb blast occurred at the office of a local peace committee in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan district, police said.
According to hospital administration, 16 injured people were brought to the hospital after the explosion, of which seven succumbed to their injuries.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the blast.
The police stated that the explosion was so severe that it destroyed the building of the peace committee's office, trapping several people under the debris.
Rescue teams and locals reached the site upon receiving the information and started an operation to retrieve the injured from the rubble.
The injured were transferred to a nearby hospital, where they are receiving treatment. According to the hospital administration, some of those injured are reportedly critical.
So far, no official statement has been released about the nature or motives behind the explosion.
However, police and security agencies have cordoned off the area and launched an investigation.
Officials have said that evidence is being collected from the scene, and different aspects are being examined to trace those responsible for the blast.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in November 2022