2nd LD Writethru: 3 policemen among 8 killed in NW Pakistan court blast

At least eight people including three policemen were killed and 14 others injured when a suicide bomber hit a local court in Pakistan's northwest Charsadda district on Monday morning, officials said.

Sohail Khalid, district police officer, confirmed the death toll in the explosion which rocked the district at about 11:20 a.m. (local time).

Saeed Wazir, the deputy inspector general police, said that the suicide bomber, who was trying to enter a court room, blew himself up when the on-duty policemen stopped him for frisking.

He said that the explosion happened when routine court procedures were going on in the session court of the Shabqadar area of Charsadda, a district located in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Five ambulances took part in shifting the injured people to a nearby hospital.

The hospital authorities said that death toll is feared to rise as several among the injured are said to be in critical condition.

Several vehicles also caught fire in the explosion.

No group has claimed responsibility so far.

Police and paramilitary troops have cordoned off the area for investigations. Enditem