At least 40 killed in explosion at party convention in Pakistan

Dozens of people were killed in an explosion at the congress of the conservative religious party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Assembly of Islamic Clerics) in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering with Afghanistan, Tengrinews.kz reports citing Euronews.

The bomb exploded inside the building. At least 40 people were killed and more than 200 injured, according to the Pakistani Geo TV channel. Among them is a TV channel operator who received a severe head wound. According to Geo, the leader of the local branch of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party also died.

The TV channel indicated that the blast might have been caused by a suicide bomber. This assumption was later confirmed by police chief Akhtar Khayyat. Law enforcement officials fear an increase in the number of victims.