BANNU/PESHAWAR: At least five people were martyred and 13 others injured when an explosives-laden vehicle near the Domail Police Station in Bannu, officials and locals sources said on Friday
The sources said a group of terrorists attempted to ram a pickup truck loaded with explosives into the wall of the police station. However, the policemen deployed at the site opened fire, forcing the suicide attacker to detonate the explosives before reaching the premises.
As a result of the blast, five members of a single family were martyred, while 13 people, including police personnel, sustained injuries.
Most of the victims were inside an adjacent house that was destroyed in the powerful explosion caused by hundreds of kilograms of explosives packed in the vehicle.
Among the martyrs were three women. Four members of the same family were identified as Naqibullah, his wife, his son Tufail Subhan, and his daughter Sadaf. The name of the fifth victim could not be immediately confirmed.
The powerful explosion was heard across a wide area, spreading panic and fear among residents. The blast also caused the roofs of nearby buildings to collapse and damaged several houses.
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan and District Police Officer (DPO) Bannu Asif Afridi later visited the Domail Police Station and the affected homes.
According to the RPO, between 1,000 and 1,500 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.
This was the second time since 2013 that the Domail Police Station has been targeted with an explosives-laden vehicle, and once again, the family living in the adjacent house suffered the most.
