The explosion occurred near the private school in Nauthia town, a congested neighbourhood within Peshawar cantonment. The dead included a passer-by and the owner of a donkey cart. The condition of at least one injured child was described by officials as critical. The injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the terrorist attack and said such cowardly acts targetting innocent citizens, particularly children, "explain the ideology of the terrorists". He asked the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to ensure the best medical treatment for the injured and directed security agencies to enhance vigil on the activities of extremist elements.
No group claimed responsibility for the blast.