Peshawar (Staff Report): The death toll of Friday's twin blasts in Parachinar has soared to 45 and over 300 others injured, officials of political administration confirmed.
The back-to-back explosions occurred as people were busy shopping for Iftar and Eid in the Turi Bazaar area on Friday afternoon, close to a crowded bus terminal in Parachinar, Kurram Agency.
The twin blasts were reported to have occurred near Tal Adda, where market and bus terminal are located. The second explosion took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.
Survivors described hiding inside shops after hearing a “huge bang” – then stumbling through dust-choked air filled with the sound of screams, tripping over bodies as they searched for the wounded in the busy market in Parachinar, the capital of Kurram tribal agency.
The intensity of the blast could be gauged from the damage that has been caused to the houses and cars in the vicinity, said Kurram Agency political agent Shoukat Yousafzai.
Rescue operations are underway. An emergency has been imposed in the hospitals in the area, and the injured are being taken to the District General Hospital, Parachinar.
Kurram agency is considered one of the most sensitive tribal regions as it borders three Afghan provinces and was once the main route for cross-border militant activity.