11 Dec 2010

Bomb vehicle driven into hospital

4:45 pm on 11 December 2010

A suicide bomber has driven a vehicle laden with explosives into a hospital in north-west Pakistan, killing 11 people.

Another 16 people were wounded by the blast on Friday at the Shia Muslim facility in the Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to police, a tractor and trailer carrying 250kg of explosives were used.

The explosion followed the start of the holy month of Muharram, which is especially important for Shias. The BBC reports Sunni groups often target Shias during Muharram.

It was the fourth major suicide attack this week in Pakistan.

On Monday, two bombers killed more than 40 people in the north-western tribal belt.

On Tuesday, a suicide attacker failed in an attempt to assassinate the chief minister of the south-western province of Balochistan.

On Wednesday, a bomber blew himself up near a minibus in the town of Kohat, not far from Hangu, killing at least 16 people.