A devastating vehicle-borne suicide attack reduced a religious seminary to rubble in the Malangi area of Mamund tehsil, Bajaur District, on Monday, leaving multiple police and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel dead, a child killed, and several others injured, officials and local sources confirmed.
According to a senior official in the area, the explosion was carried out through an explosives-laden vehicle that targeted a madrassa building previously used as a hideout by Taliban affiliates but currently under the control of security forces and police. The blast was so powerful that it completely razed the structure, flattening walls and trapping personnel under heaps of concrete and twisted debris.
Rescue teams, backed by security personnel and heavy machinery, immediately launched a large-scale operation to retrieve those buried beneath the rubble. Several bodies of police and FC officials who lost their lives in the attack have so far been pulled out, an official source confirmed, adding that the death toll may rise as clearance efforts continue.
The explosion also caused civilian casualties. A child in a nearby house was killed when the shockwave and debris struck adjacent structures, while at least three other civilians sustained critical injuries. The injured were shifted to a nearby medical facility, where doctors described their condition as serious. Additional security personnel were also reported among the injured, though the exact number has yet to be officially disclosed.
The blast sent shockwaves across the locality, damaging surrounding houses and triggering panic among residents. Law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area, tightened security measures, and initiated a formal investigation to determine the identity of the attackers and the network behind the assault.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. Authorities said further details regarding the number of casualties and the progress of the investigation would be shared after completion of rescue and identification procedures.
