Suicide car bomb hits Pakistan police station, kills 17 (2nd Lead)

Sep 6, 2010, 6:30 GMT

Islamabad - A suicide bomber on Monday rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a police station in Pakistan's north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, killing 17 people and injuring dozens more, police said.

The bombing, in Lucky Marwat district close to the country's militancy-plagued tribal region, demolished parts of the police station building and damaged a nearby school van.

'Seventeen people have been killed in the attack. Among them are eight civilians, including four school girls, and nine policemen,' said Khalid Khan, an official at the city's central police control room. 'Forty-six, including 20 policemen, are injured.'

Television footages showed rescue workers sifting through the rubble to find survivors or dead bodies.

'It is believed that there might be still some people under the rubble. When the bombing took place more than 40 policemen were inside the building,' Khan said.

The bomber drove into the rear wall of the station, district police chief Gul Wali Khan said. Several nearby buildings were also damaged by the explosion, which left a large crater in the ground.

It was the third suicide attack in around a week in the country. More than 100 people died and over 400 were injured in bombings in eastern city of Lahore and south-western town of Quetta.

The Taliban took the responsibility for both bombings and threatened to carry out more.

The bombings ended a brief lull after recent floods devastated large areas in Pakistan, killing 1,700 and affecting more than 17 million.