Parachinar blast leaves 25 dead, more than 50 wounded

At least 25 people were killed and over 50 were wounded on Sunday after a bomb exploded at a busy market in Kurram Agency’s Parachinar area.

According to Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), a powerful time bomb weighing about 30 to 35 kilogram ripped through the used clothes market (Lunda Bazaar) the people were busy buying used clothes for the winter season.

Rescue and emergency teams rushed to the blast site, shifted the dead, and wounded to District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Parachinar. An emergency was declared at the hospital to deal with the situation.

“Some of the injured are in critical condition and we are planning to send them to Peshawar and Kohat for better treatment,” Shafiq Hussain, a health worker at the Agency Headquarters Hospital said.

It could not be ascertained immediately whether the blast was a suicide attack or a remote-controlled blast. Security forces have cordoned off the area and are investigating.

Security sources were of the view that the explosion was carried out through a planted device, adding that the two suspects had been taken into custody from the blast site.

An emergency has been imposed at DHQ Parachinar.

25 Injured victims of Parachinar blast have been evacuated to Peshawar through two special flights of Pakistan Army Aviation helicopters.

12 of the injured people have been evacuated from Parachinar and 10 were evacuated from Thal Cantt, where they had been taken for initial treatment.

The injured have been evacuated to CMH Peshawar where specialist doctors are providing the best medical treatment, including operations. Two of the injured were also admitted in CMH Thal, while one is in CMH Kohat.

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Sunday condemned the blast took place in Parachinar and expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of life and property.

The prime minister, who is in Turkmenistan on two-day visit, also commiserated with the bereaved families and directed the authorities concerned to provide special medical care to the injured.

“Our resolve to eradicate the menace of terrorism is getting stronger and stronger with the loss of innocent lives and sacrifices of the officials of Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies,” he said.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi said that he had ordered compensation to be paid to the victims within the next two days.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Security sources said that two suspects have been taken into custody from the blast site.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Speaker National Assembly (NA) Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif have condemned the terrorist attack and said that extremist cannot weaken the government’s resolve to curb militancy through such tactics. They prayed that the departed souls should rest in peace and hoped that those injured would recover quickly.

Kurram is one of the most sensitive tribal areas in the country as it borders three Afghan provinces. At one point was one of the key routes for militant movement across the border. It has witnessed scores of such attacks and kidnappings for ransom incidents in the past several years. Parachinar is the administrative headquarters of the agency near the Afghan border.