Pakistan – attack

At least 25 dead in suicide attack

Article published on the 2009-11-10 Latest update 2009-11-10 14:44 TU

A bomb disposal team at the scene of Monday's suicide bomb attack
(Photo: Reuters)

A suicide bomber in a car blew himself up in a crowded shopping street in a town in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 25 and wounding 43.

The bomber blew up his vehicle in the heart of the town of Charsadda on a road lined with fruit and juice shops, causing incredible carnage and material damage.

“I was buying something before closing my shop. A car was parked on the other side of the road and all of a sudden there was a huge blast," said Hazrat Ali, a shopkeeper with shrapnel wounds to his chest and forehead, the AFP reported.

"There was smoke and darkness everywhere. I passed out," he told AFP after waking up in hospital.

It was the third suicide bombing in three days in northwest towns near Pakistan's tribal belt on the Afghan border, where the military is pressing a major offensive into a fourth week against TTP hideouts.