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Incident

At Least 18 Killed in Pakistan Bus Blast

17 January 2011 21:01 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Officials said a bomb blast has ripped apart a minibus in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 18 people, including two people traveling in a separate vehicle, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.

Authorities said the bombing happened Monday near the town of Hangu, where a female police officer and five of her relatives were killed Friday in an attack on the family home. The area is near Pakistan’s lawless tribal region.

The French news agency AFP reports that police say about 10 kilograms of explosives had been planted on the bus and the target was a Shi’ite leader, Kamil Ali Shah, who was implicated in the deaths of four Sunni Muslims in Hangu last September.

Witnesses said the minibus and another passenger vehicle were destroyed in the blast. Authorities said the bomb was placed next to gas cylinders used to power the minibus, making the explosion especially deadly.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.