PESHAWAR - At least five members of a family including two minor girls and two children were killed and two others injured in an explosion at a hotel on Grand Trunk Road in Peshawar early on Friday. The cause of the blast could not be ascertained immediately as police gathered bits and pieces to determine what caused the blast.
Police along with bomb disposal squad (BDS) reached the spot after the explosion and cordoned off the entire area.
Capital City Police Officer Peshawar Qazi Jamil-ur-Rahman told the media that the blast occurred on the third floor of Afindi Hotel in Hashtnagri. He said the dead included two women, two minor girls and a 22-year-old young man. He also said that two brothers, identified as Kamran Khan and Aamir, who were critically injured in the explosion, were shifted to Rawalpindi for treatment.
The police chief said that victim family hailed from Hangu, who had come to Peshawar for some engagement and staying in the hotel.
The CCPO further said that the blast apparently happened due to gas leakage, however, police were investigating the incident from different angles.
Hospital sources said the deceased minor girls were aged between three and five years. The explosion also damaged vehicles parked outside the hotel.