Peshawar—A roadside explosion targeting the vehicles of American consulate here Friday morning left at least one person dead and seriously wounded thirteen others. Two Americans are included among the injured who according to American embassy officials sustained minor wounds.
The capital city police chief said fifty kg explosive material was used in the blast that besides destroying few vehicles also damaged a number of near by buildings. Eye witness and the independent sources said a land cruiser of the American consulate bearing Islamabad number was targeted through a car bomb at main Jamrod road near Customs House Peshawar at 8.25 in the morning creating panic in the area as the bang was heard at distant area.
The US consulate land cruiser escorted by another vehicle, credible sources said, was bullet and bomb proof and remained safe in the explosion yet the panic ridden driver lost control and dashed the land cruiser with an electric pole which caused injuries to two people on board.
The area falling in the red zone was immediately cordoned off by the police and other law enforcing agencies that were not allowing any body get closer to the site of the explosion and even denied to share information with the media.
As many as eleven passerby sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the nearby Khyber teaching hospital (KTH) where one person was pronounced dead. The doctors at KTH described the condition of one person as precarious who received head injury and underwent surgery. The police said the person killed in the blast was ridding on a motorbike. Intriguingly both the injured Americans were whisked away quietly and were not taken to any of the city’s major hospitals. “There was an attack on a two-car convoy from the consulate in Peshawar. One car was hit and we are still investigating what actually happened,” said US embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez.
The CCPO Peshawar Liaqat Ali while talking to media men said 50 kilograms of explosive material was used in the explosion admitting the target was the US consulate vehicles.
However, the Peshawar police changed its stance about the nature of the blast thrice as first it said the explosion was caused by an explosive device planted at roadside. Then it came up with the version that blast was caused by the car carrying huge quantity of explosives.
It again came back to its earlier version that blast was caused by the road side device. It was perhaps after the official statement issued by the US embassy, when the police accepted that the explosion was caused through an Alto Suzuki car and the target was the US consulate vehicle.
An eye witness told Pakistan Observer the American’s strong vehicle was being chased by the bomber car and firing was also heard after the blast adding two foreigners were seen running away from the site immediately after the blast.
A statement issued by the US embassy said a car bomb in Peshawar on Friday targeted a US consulate convoy but caused no American deaths or serious injuries.
The US embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez the two consulate vehicles were heading to the consulate when one of the vehicles was hit by the blast adding there was an attack on a two-car convoy from the consulate in Peshawar.
“One car was hit. We are still investigating what actually happened”. The spokesman said.
The capital city police chief said fifty kg explosive material was used in the blast that besides destroying few vehicles also damaged a number of near by buildings. Eye witness and the independent sources said a land cruiser of the American consulate bearing Islamabad number was targeted through a car bomb at main Jamrod road near Customs House Peshawar at 8.25 in the morning creating panic in the area as the bang was heard at distant area.
The US consulate land cruiser escorted by another vehicle, credible sources said, was bullet and bomb proof and remained safe in the explosion yet the panic ridden driver lost control and dashed the land cruiser with an electric pole which caused injuries to two people on board.
The area falling in the red zone was immediately cordoned off by the police and other law enforcing agencies that were not allowing any body get closer to the site of the explosion and even denied to share information with the media.
As many as eleven passerby sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the nearby Khyber teaching hospital (KTH) where one person was pronounced dead. The doctors at KTH described the condition of one person as precarious who received head injury and underwent surgery. The police said the person killed in the blast was ridding on a motorbike. Intriguingly both the injured Americans were whisked away quietly and were not taken to any of the city’s major hospitals. “There was an attack on a two-car convoy from the consulate in Peshawar. One car was hit and we are still investigating what actually happened,” said US embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez.
The CCPO Peshawar Liaqat Ali while talking to media men said 50 kilograms of explosive material was used in the explosion admitting the target was the US consulate vehicles.
However, the Peshawar police changed its stance about the nature of the blast thrice as first it said the explosion was caused by an explosive device planted at roadside. Then it came up with the version that blast was caused by the car carrying huge quantity of explosives.
It again came back to its earlier version that blast was caused by the road side device. It was perhaps after the official statement issued by the US embassy, when the police accepted that the explosion was caused through an Alto Suzuki car and the target was the US consulate vehicle.
An eye witness told Pakistan Observer the American’s strong vehicle was being chased by the bomber car and firing was also heard after the blast adding two foreigners were seen running away from the site immediately after the blast.
A statement issued by the US embassy said a car bomb in Peshawar on Friday targeted a US consulate convoy but caused no American deaths or serious injuries.
The US embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez the two consulate vehicles were heading to the consulate when one of the vehicles was hit by the blast adding there was an attack on a two-car convoy from the consulate in Peshawar.
“One car was hit. We are still investigating what actually happened”. The spokesman said.