At least 11 people were martyred and several others were injured in a suspected suicide car bomb attack targeting a police checkpost in Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to initial reports.
Rescue 1122 and police sources initially confirmed the blast, saying an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the checkpost, triggering a powerful explosion.
According to sources, the 11 people martyred included six police personnel, two Customs officials, two women and a two-year-old child.
Several others, including police and Customs personnel, were injured in the attack.
Rescue officials said the injured were being provided medical treatment before being shifted to hospitals.
Some of the injured were reportedly in critical condition, raising concerns that the death toll could rise.
Following the blast, a large contingent of security forces and law enforcement personnel reached the site.
The area was cordoned off, and a search and clearance operation was launched. Sources said the attack targeted an anti-smuggling checkpost.
Earlier, eighteen workers of a road construction company were abducted after armed attackers raided their camp in Duki district of Balochistan, while a security guard was killed and another seriously injured, according to sources.
The attack took place at a construction company’s camp in the Nana Sahib Ziarat area of Duki, sources said.
According to the sources, the attackers exchanged fire with the guards during the assault. One guard was killed, while another sustained serious injuries.
The attackers subsequently took 18 construction workers residing at the camp with them and fled the area, sources said.
Security forces have launched a search operation in the surrounding area to locate the abducted workers and trace the attackers.
Duki is situated around 315 kilometres northeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.