Burqa clad suicide bombers kill 38 people in Pakistan

April 17, 2010 05:12 pm | Updated 05:12 pm IST - Peshawar

Two burqa-clad suicide bombers struck a food distribution camp for people displaced by anti-militancy operations in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 38 people and injuring about 65 others.

The bombers blasted their explosive vests within 10 minutes of each other at a distribution point set up by the World Food Programme in Kuccha Pakka area, located 30 km from Hangu city in the North West Frontier Province.

Azmat Ali Bangash, a reporter who worked for state-run APP news agency and Samaa TV channel, was among the dead.

Both suicide bombers were clad in burqas, Geo News reported.

The head and legs of the bombers and pieces of the burqas worn by them were found by investigators, the channel said.

At least 38 people were killed and 50 others injured by the blasts, officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels.

The first blast occurred at noon at the food distribution point, where several people were present, said Kohat Commissioner Khalid Khan Umarzai.

The second blast, which caused more deaths, went off 10 minutes later when a large number of people gathered at the spot to remove bodies and help the injured, he said. The blasts damaged nearby houses.

Security forces cordoned off the area and an emergency was declared in hospitals in the area.

No group claimed responsibility for the blasts but suspected Taliban are blamed for such attacks.

A large number of people displaced by anti-militancy operations in the Orakzai tribal region live in Kohat and Hangu districts of NWFP.

About 300 internally displaced people live in a relief camp in Kuccha Pakka area.

The blasts came a day after a suicide bomber struck a hospital in the southwestern city of Quetta, killing 11 people and injuring about 40 others. A cameraman for Samaa TV channel was among the dead in yesterday’s blast.

The suicide bomber struck when a large number of Shias had gathered at the hospital to protest the death of a Shia banker, who was shot by unidentified gunmen.

A suicide car bombing at a crowded market in the Kuccha Pakka area on September 18, 2009 killed 40 people and injured 60 others.

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