ISLAMABAD (PAN): A powerful car bombing killed at least 10 people and wounded several others in Cantonment area of Peshawar city, capital of North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan on Saturday, police said.

The blast took place near a private bank on Fakhr-i-Alam Road at a parking lot.

SSP operations Shafqat Malik told Pajhwok Afghan News the explosives were packed in a car. Body parts of the victims were scattered into pieces on the scene.

According to Shafqat, eight people have been killed and more than 40 wounded in the blast. All of them are civilians, he added.

The blast also damaged several nearby shops and offices. Two suspected people of foreign origin were arrested when they were recording a video of the blast.

Security officials say the detainees are Arab nationals and might be involved in the attack.

A doctor at the teaching hospital, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Mansoor told this scribe 10 dead bodies were brought to the hospital. He said more than 40 injured, most of them children, were admitted into the hospital for treatment.

Eight injured people were in a critical condition, added Mansoor.

Reports suggest three buildings were collapsed as a result of the powerful explosion. The death toll could increase as search for bodies beneath the rubbles is ongoing.

The explosion in Peshawar came hours after a suicide attack in Bannu district of the province killed 10 people and wounded 50 others.

Most of the victims are police and militia forces.

Security and defence analyst Brigadier (R) Mahmood Shah said the fresh attacks showed the militants were still in a strong position and their back is not broken.

Taliban were in disarray after Mehsud was killed in a CIA drone missile strike and top leaders of the movement including Muslim Khan and Mualvi Omar arrested. "But, the Pakistani army and intelligence operative did not take necessary and prompt action to eliminate them," said Shah. He said the government once again lost another chance to defeat the elements.

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