PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A bomb exploded on an overcrowded bus carrying government employees in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 30.
A Taliban-affiliated militant group, Lashkar-e-Islam, claimed responsibility for the attack in the city of Peshawar.
Senior police officials told NBC News that the blast was triggered by an approximately 22-pound explosive device.
The injured were being transported to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
Khalid Khan, the hospital's accident and emergency department director, told NBC News the facility received 11 bodies and around 30 injured.
"We declared an emergency in the hospital and called all the hospital staff to better handle this trauma," Khalid said.
He said some of the injured were in critical condition and feared that death toll could rise. The injured included three women and a child, Khalid said.
Police said it was the third time buses carrying government employees has been targeted in Peshawar.
Lashkar-e-Islam said the attack was revenge for recent death sentences handed down to militants.
