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1st LD Writethru: 22 injured as suicide blast hits gov't office in NW Pakistan

Xinhua, April 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

At least 22 people were injured when a suicide blast hit a government office in Mardan, a district in northwest Pakistan, on Tuesday afternoon, reported local Urdu TV channel AJJ.

Faisal Shehzad, a district police officer of Mardan, said that the suicide blast happened at about 12 p.m. when a suicide bomber blew himself up after entering a government tax collection office in the downtown area of the district.

He said that about 30 to 35 people were present in the office when the blast occurred.

The injured include three security personnel, said the local media, adding that the office building was also partially damaged in the explosion.

Police and rescue team rushed to the site shortly after the blast was reported.

Police have cordoned off the blast site and kicked off a search operation in the surrounding areas.

Bomb disposal squad officers said that an estimated 8-10 kg of explosives were used in the blast. The identity of the suicide bomber is not known at the moment, they said.

All the blast victims have been shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Mardan. Hospital sources said four out of the injured are in critical condition.

No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack yet. Enditem