Blast in crowded market kills 20 in northwest Pakistan

A powerful bomb blast ripped through a crowded market in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 20 people and injuring over 30 others, officials said.

The bomb was planted in a pick-up truck that was parked at a stand for trucks and buses at the market in Jamrud, one of the main towns of Khyber Agency.

All the people sitting in the truck were killed instantly when the bomb went off, witnesses and officials said. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

Those with serious injuries were shifted to nearby Peshawar city, the capital of Khyber-Paktunkhwa province.

The blast damaged a petrol pump and several vehicles.

Reports said members of an anti-Taliban militia were passing through the market at the time of the explosion.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Several militant groups, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam, are active in the region.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan recently warned it would carry out attacks in retaliation for operations against its fighters in the tribal belt.