Bomb at vegetable market in Pakistan’s Shia area kills at least 21

A bomb has gone off in a mainly Shia Muslim area in northwestern Pakistan, leaving at least 21 people dead and about 40 others injured.

A bomb has gone off in a mainly Shia Muslim area in northwestern Pakistan, leaving at least 21 people dead and about 40 others injured.

The blast rocked a crowded vegetable market in Parachinar city, the capital of Kurram tribal district near the Afghan border on Saturday.

“We received 21 bodies of the local tribal people killed in the blast,” said Sajid Hussain Turi, a member of the National Assembly from the region. He said there would be a mass funeral and then a demonstration over the attack.

Officials expect the death toll from the attack to rise. Turi said a homemade bomb had been planted in a pile of tomatoes and exploded as people gathered in the market early on Saturday morning.

Pakistan’s army has been deployed to the site and cordoned off the area. 

Taliban militants have been active around Parachinar in the past and targeted Shia Muslims who have been the subject of numerous attacks.