Fifteen killed in suicide attack on Pak hospital

A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden pick-up truck into a hospital being built by the minority Shia community at Hangu in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing 15 people and injuring 10 others.

The Hazara Hospital in Hangu Chowk collapsed following the blast and several persons were buried under the rubble, witnesses said.

Rescue workers and local residents pulled bodies and the injured out of debris. Fifteen people were killed and 10 others injured in the attack, officials said.

Several nearby buildings were damaged by the powerful blast. Rescue efforts were hampered by the lack of heavy machinery and a power outage caused by the explosion.

Kohat Commissioner Khalid Khan said the bomber had targeted the hospital. Hangu is located near Kohat, where a suicide bomber struck a crowded bus terminal on Wednesday, killing 19 people and injuring over 30 others.

Sources said the minority Shia community was also the target of Wednesday's attack. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Hangu district has been declared "very sensitive" by intelligence agencies for the Islamic holy month of Muharram, which began on Wednesday.

Authorities have put in place strict security arrangements across Pakistan as sectarian and militant violence has occurred during the month in past years.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned Friday's attack in Hangu, describing it as a "brutal and inhuman act of militants". He reiterated his government's resolve to fight the menace of terrorism and militancy till its eradication.