At least ten people, including two security officials, were killed and several others were injured when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive-laden vehicle in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, police said.
The bomb blast - which took place in Tehsil Sarai Nawrang Bazar near Bannu district on the border with Afghanistan - threatens to reignite tensions between the neighbours whose militaries clashed fiercely this year.
Ambulances and fire vehicles have been dispatched to the scene of the blast, the agency involved in rescue activities said in a statement.
Two traffic police personnel and a woman were among the ten people killed, officials said, adding that 35 others were injured and were shifted to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Sarai Naurang for treatment.
Several people who were said to be in critical condition were referred to hospitals in Bannu and Peshawar for further medical care.
Those with serious injuries had been rushed to hospitals in Bannu, Deputy Superintendent of Police Nawrang Saeed Khan said.
Ambulances and teams were dispatched to the site for relief work, said Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shahdab Khan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Suhail Afridi took note of the blast and directed the Inspector General of Police to submit a detailed report on the incident.
"We stand with the bereaved families in this difficult time, and the provincial government will extend all possible support to them," he said.
Mohammad Ishaq, the medical superintendent of THQ Hospital, said they had received 37 patients so far and that the condition of some of them was critical.
Visuals from the scene of the blast showed damaged shopfronts and a mangled vehicle.
A car bombing followed by an ambush at a police post in the same region killed 15 police personnel on Saturday. Pakistan blamed Afghanistan-based militants for the attack and delivered a strong protest to Kabul.
The Afghan Taliban government said on Tuesday that the allegations were "baseless".
"The Islamic Emirate once again clarifies its position that Afghan soil will not be used against any country, and no one will be allowed to carry out activities that would harm the security and stability of the region," Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
Pakistan has blamed Kabul for harbouring militants who it says use Afghan soil to plot attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban has denied the allegations and said militancy in Pakistan is an internal problem.