At least 11 injured in Peshawar 'blast'

At least 11 people, including a policeman, were injured here on Monday during a cylinder blast in an auto-rickshaw outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and the Peshawar High Court's main gate. Soon after the blast, Police and bomb disposal squad rushed to the site of the incident and cordoned off the crime scene while further investigations have initiated in this regard.

However, a senior police official at the scene said that only three people were injured. CCTV footage of the blast has also surfaced and shows a rickshaw travelling at great speed. When it neared the gate of the Peshawar High Court, it exploded. The rickshaw was completely destroyed in the blast and several nearby cars were damaged.

The Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar told the media that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing approximately 4-5 kg was used in the blast. "We have confirmed that it was a cylinder explosion and three persons have been confirmed injured," said SSP Operation Zahoor Babar Afridi. He added that the injured included the rickshaw driver and a police constable.

The senior police official further said that the Bomb Disposal Squad has been called in to conduct a search of the area and collect evidence from the incident site. The injured persons were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital where all the injured, except one, are said to be in stable condition. Earlier, the spokesperson had said that it appeared as "a cylinder blast of an auto-rickshaw" and a police officer was amongst the injured. However, later, the cylinder was found undamaged by the investigation team.