Peshawar [Pakistan], August 4 : The death toll in the suicide bombing near the Kabal Police Station in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Swat district has risen to 17, including seven policemen, while 27 others were injured, Dawn reported on Monday.
According to Dawn, Swat police spokesperson Nasir Iqbal Karimi shared a list of casualties, saying 10 civilians and seven police personnel were killed in Sunday's attack, while 18 policemen and nine civilians sustained injuries.
The suicide bombing occurred near the Kabal Police Station as a public protest against deteriorating law and order was underway at the adjoining Kabal Chowk. According to Swat police, the attacker detonated explosives after police personnel attempted to stop and search him at the entrance to the police station, Dawn reported.
Karimi said a large-scale rescue operation was launched immediately after the blast, involving more than 50 Rescue 1122 personnel. Rescue teams administered first aid at the scene before shifting the injured to different hospitals for treatment, while relief operations and investigations into the attack are continuing, according to Dawn.
The newspaper reported that funeral prayers for two policemen killed in the attack--Constable Mukarram Khan and Constable Hussain Khan--were held on Monday at the Javed Iqbal Shaheed Police Lines.
A police contingent presented a guard of honour, while floral wreaths were laid on the coffins. The ceremony was attended by Malakand Regional Police Officer Syed Fida Hassan Shah, Swat District Police Officer Muhammad Umar Khan, Superintendent of Police (Operations) Ghulam Sadiq Khan, Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Ataullah and other senior police officials, Dawn reported.
The bombing took place during a large public demonstration against the resurgence of terrorism in the Swat Valley, where residents had gathered to demand stronger action from authorities to restore security.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
The incident comes amid a surge in militant violence across Pakistan. According to Dawn, citing data from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 154 terrorism-related fatalities in July, marking a sharp increase from the previous month.