Suicide Bomber Kills 9 in Autorickshaw Blast at Pakistan Market

At least nine people, including two traffic police personnel and a woman, were killed and 33 others injured after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive-laden autorickshaw in a crowded market in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday, officials said.

The blast occurred at Phattak Chowk in the busy Naurang Bazaar area of Serai Naurang tehsil in Lakki Marwat district. Police said the attacker drove the explosives-packed three-wheeler into the marketplace before detonating it near traffic police officials stationed there.

Local police chief Azmat Ullah said the policemen appeared to be the intended targets, though most casualties were civilians passing through the market at the time of the explosion. The powerful blast damaged shops, roadside stalls and vehicles, while videos circulating online showed debris and mangled three-wheelers scattered across the area.

Lakki Marwat Deputy Commissioner Hameedullah Khan confirmed that several injured people were in critical condition. Victims were initially taken to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Sarai Naurang, while critically wounded patients were shifted to hospitals in Bannu and Peshawar for specialised treatment. Authorities declared a medical emergency at local hospitals after the attack.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shahdab Khan said ambulances and emergency teams were immediately dispatched for relief operations.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Suhail Afridi condemned the attack and ordered a detailed report from police authorities. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed grief and directed officials to swiftly identify and punish those responsible.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, though suspicion has fallen on factions linked to the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan amid rising militant violence in the region.