By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Two explosions at a counterterrorism police facility in the northwestern valley of Swat on Monday killed at least 12 people, mostly police officers, and injured over 50 others, officials said.
Senior police officer Ataullah Khan said a smaller blast was followed by a larger and more intense one that caused part of the counterterrorism police building to collapse.
Khan said the death toll may increase.
Most of the damage occurred at the counterterrorism department building, although the police complex also includes the Kabal city police station and the headquarters of a reserve police force.
Destroyed cars and fallen trees were seen on local television channels, and bloodied victims were carried on stretchers into a nearby hospital.
Post-incident videos on social media showed policemen and medics running with stretchers and carrying the injured to ambulances.
Deputy chief of the counterterrorism department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khalid Sohail, told reporters that the blast was not a suicide attack and clarified that there was no attack or firing on the police station.
“The explosion occurred at a place where ammunition and mortar shells were stored,” Sohail added.
He further said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the explosion and that bomb disposal squads were conducting an investigation.
The provincial health department has imposed a state of emergency at hospitals in Swat.
Sohail said the collapsed building was an old one, although most offices and personnel were located in a newer building.
The building’s collapse caused a power outage, the extent of which was yet to be determined.
The picturesque Swat Valley was once the stronghold of Islamic militants who imposed strict Sharia rule there until the army carried out a massive operation in 2007, flushing out the militants and restoring normalcy.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, but the Pakistani Taliban have claimed similar attacks since ending a ceasefire with the government last year.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah condemned the incident and expressed grief over the lives lost.
They prayed for the martyrs and offered their condolences to the bereaved families.
The premier also prayed for the early recovery of the injured and directed the authorities concerned to provide them with medical assistance.
The interior minister vowed to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and sought a report on the incident.
KP caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan also strongly condemned the blast and directed the relevant authorities to speed up rescue and relief operations.
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