Nine persons were killed and 15 others injured when a powerful blast ripped through a minibus on the outskirts of Peshawar city of northwest Pakistan on Saturday, police officials said.
A bomb planted inside the minibus exploded as the vehicle was passing through a market in the suburb of Mattani on Saturday afternoon, they said.
A woman was among those killed instantly by the blast. The injured, including two women and a child, were taken to a nearby hospital, officials said.
About 20 people were in the minibus at the time of the explosion.
Footage on television showed the vehicle reduced to a heap of mangled metal. The blast damaged several shops in the area. The market closed down soon after the explosion.
Security forces cordoned off the area and prevented people from approaching the minibus due to fears that it could contain more explosive devices.
No group claimed responsibility for the blast though such attacks are usually blamed on the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
