At least five people were killed and 10 others injured in a suicide blast during a wedding at the residence of a peace committee member in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.
Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada, District Police Officer of Dera Ismail Khan district, confirmed it was a suicide attack. The attack took place during a wedding celebration at the residence of the peace committee chief Noor Alam Mehsud, near Qureshi morr.
"The explosion was a suicide blast. It is premature to say anything about the casualties," DPO Sahibzada told Dawn News as quoted by ANI. He added that an emergency had been imposed at the District Headquarter Hospital.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has sought out a report into the incident, a report in the Dawn News confirmed. "All possible medical assistance should be provided to the injured in the Dera blast," he said while expressing grief over the incident.
Emergency declared at District Headquarter Hospital
Notably, the blast reportedly took place when the guests were dancing. It caused the roof of the room to collapse, which further hampered rescue operations and made it difficult to reach those trapped under the debris. An emergency has been declared at the District Headquarter Hospital. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi stated that five bodies were brought to the hospital alongside 10 injured people.
Area cordoned off, investigation launched
Meanwhile, seven ambulances, a fire and a disaster vehicle rushed to the spot for rescue operations. The area was cordoned off by the authorities, and an investigation into the incident has been launched. As per the initial reports, peace committee leader Waheedullah Mehsud, alias Jigri Mehsud, was among the dead.
Sohail Afridi, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, condemned the incident and sought a report on it. He stated that those behind this blast will be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed an attack on peace committee members by armed assailants, leaving four killed in the Bannu district. Last year in November, seven people lost their lives when a peace committee office was attacked in the Bannu district.
Police officials said that among those killed was a ‘good Talib’, a term used to refer to a former militant who has surrendered to the state, and the rest were his relatives.
