Seven killed, 23 injured in K-P’s Lakki Marwat explosion | The Express Tribune

At least seven people, including two traffic police personnel, were killed and 23 others injured in an explosion in the Sarai Naurang tehsil of Lakki Marwat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Tuesday, Bannu DIG Sajjad Khan confirmed.

In a statement, Khan said, “Initial investigations suggested that explosive material had been planted in a motorcycle”. He added that police, rescue teams and other law enforcement agencies reached the site immediately after the incident.

He said Bomb Disposal Squad experts also reached the site, collected evidence, and were trying to determine the exact nature of the blast.

Khan said, “A heavy police contingent has been deployed in the area and was conducting a search and strike operation.” 

DIG visited the blast site in Naurang Bazaar and later went to the District Headquarters Hospital, where he met the injured, saying doctors had been directed to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the wounded.

He said that terrorists and their facilitators would be brought to justice at all costs.

Lakki Marwat police spokesperson Qudratullah Khan said the killed police personnel were identified as Adil Jan and Rahatullah, saying the bodies were shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, while several injured were referred to hospitals in Bannu in critical condition.

According to Qudratullah, at the time of the blast, traffic police personnel were performing routine duty to regulate traffic between Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan when the explosion occurred suddenly.

Videos circulating on social media show extensive damage to shops, rickshaws and nearby properties caused by the blast.

Immediately after the incident, a heavy police contingent led by the DSP of Naurang Circle reached the site, cordoned off the area, collected evidence and launched rescue operations.

According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shadab Khan, ambulances and rescue teams were dispatched to the site immediately after receiving information. He urged the public to cooperate with rescue services and avoid unnecessary gatherings at the site.

K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took notice of the explosion and sought a report on the incident from the inspector general of police.

“The martyrdom of two traffic police personnel and five civilians in the incident is deeply tragic,” he said.

The chief minister said the provincial government shared the grief of the victims’ families and would provide every possible assistance. He also directed authorities to ensure the provision of the best possible medical facilities to those injured.

Read: Death toll from Bannu police attack rises to 15

K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the explosion and expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of innocent people.

In a statement, the governor expressed sympathy with the families of the victims and said he shared their grief in this difficult time.

He also expressed good wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured in the blast and said the increasing incidents of terrorism across the province, particularly in the southern districts, were deeply alarming.

He called on the provincial government to take serious and practical measures to uphold the rule of law and ensure lasting peace.

The governor said terrorists involved in shedding the blood of innocent people deserved no leniency and described them as enemies of peace and humanity in the province.

He added that the sacrifices made by the people of the province, police and security forces in the fight against terrorism would not go in vain.

On Sunday, the number of police personnel martyred in a brazen attack on a Bannu police checkpoint rose to 15, as a banned outfit, Ittehad Mujahideen Pakistan, belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, claimed responsibility.

On the night between Saturday and Sunday, terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the Fateh Khel police checkpoint in Bannu, triggering a massive blast that completely reduced the structure to rubble.

Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan said that a total of 18 police personnel were present at the checkpoint at the time of the attack.

“Of them, 15 embraced martyrdom on the spot, while three sustained serious injuries,” he said.

The explosion also caused extensive damage to nearby residential buildings and structures.