A suicide car-bomber killed 33 people in northwest Pakistan today in an explosion on a road that brought down shops where people were stocking up before a holiday.
Militants have struck with bombs numerous times since intensifying their war against the government in 2007, but the Islamists have suffered setbacks this year, raising government hope that the security forces might be getting the upper hand.
The bomb went off on a main road near the city of Kohat, 150km southwest of Islamabad, and brought down some roadside shops, police and witnesses said.
"A restaurant and many shops have collapsed. It's chaos here. There's huge devastation," said Ibn-e-Ali, a former judge and resident of the area.
"My house is one kilometre away, but the blast was so huge it felt as if it was next door."
A police spokesman said 33 people had been killed and about 80 wounded. The bomb was believed to have contained about 150kg of explosives, police said.
Kohat is a garrison town, close to the lawless ethnic Pashtun tribal belt on the Afghan border, a major sanctuary for militants battling in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The attack could have been revenge for security force attacks on militants, a police officer told the state-run APP news agency.
"The blast may be a reaction to operations against militants in the surrounding areas of Orakzai," officer Dilawar Bangash told the news agency, referring to an area where the army has been fighting Pakistani Taliban militants.
Reuters