Planted bomb kills 5, wounds 20 in Pakistan

The blast was intended to target a police van. Pic/AP

A bomb planted in a parked motorcycle exploded near a police vehicle in northwest Pakistan, killing at least five people and wounding 20 others Friday, police said.

The explosion happened in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, local police officer Gul Sher Khan said.

The motorcycle was parked near a bus stop and the bomb was detonated remotely when a police bus carrying officers from the city to the nearby Takwara area passed by, Khan said.

All of the dead were locals, and the explosion at the busy stop wounded both civilians and police constables, he said.

A rescue official, Bilal Faizi said the wounded were moved to a nearby hospital, where three of them were in serious condition.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from any group, but the suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban.

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