Five of a family killed in Darra blast

All the dead are from a nomadic family

PESHAWAR:

Five people of a family lost their lives in Jawakai, Darra Adam Khel in a powerful blast late last night.

Local residents told The Express Tribune that in the far-flung Jawakai a family probably found a mortar shell in the mountains and the children brought it home to sell it as scrap where it exploded suddenly, killing five people on the spot.

“All the five dead are from one family of nomads who have erected tents in the area and living there. They are actually from Mansehra who migrate to Peshawar valley during harsh winter,” said a police official, adding that one child is also among the dead.

“The area is full of such scrap and it is possible that some buried mortar was exposed in recent downpour and the child found it. Sabotage is also possible,” he said, adding that team of BDU inspected the site and confirmed that it was a mortar shell which exploded when all the people had gathered around it.

Local residents said that the area was in the past full of explosives and during the operations they got rid of them by dumping them in the mountains and such explosions occur from time to time.

On the other hand Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has expressed his sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the blast in Darra Adam Khel of Kohat district of the province. He condoled the death of five members of a family and directed the district administration to provide assistance to the family immediately.

Some local elders, however, feared that it might be a targeted attack and part of the recent wave of terrorism in the province in which dozens have been killed.

“It was a toy bomb which was found by the child who brought it home and started playing with it where it exploded,” said a local Malik, adding that such devices could cause more harm in the coming days because children go to the mountains for playing.

“We need an awareness campaign in the area against such toy bombs,” he added.

It may be noted here that dozens of policemen have been killed in targeted attacks and blasts across the province in the past few months since the fall of Kabul to Taliban.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2022.