Nine killed in blast in KP's Lakki Marwat market, police say

At least nine people, including two police officials and five civilians, were killed in a blast at a market in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

At least 30 were also wounded in the blast and were shifted to the nearby hospital in Bannu.

Mohammad ​Ishaq, the medical superintendent of THQ Hospital, said they had received 37 patients ‌so ⁠far and that the condition of some of them was critical.

A large police contingent reached the site of the blast and cordoned off the area to collect evidence.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed deep grief and reiterated that all relevant institutions and the government were working with unwavering resolve to purge the country of terrorism.

He directed the authorities concerned to complete the inquiry into the incident immediately to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

In March, a police vehicle was targeted by an explosion near the Rasul Khel check post in the Lakki Marwat, resulting in the martyrdom of six personnel, including a Station House Officer (SHO), while one other cop was injured.

Police said their team was on duty near the checkpoint when the blast occurred.