Bomb kills bus driver, 2 kids in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A driver and a child were killed when roadside bomb struck a school bus on Monday Lundi Arbab area of Peshawar, police said.

The explosion, which authorities said was a remote-controlled blast wrecked the bus of Sir Syed Islamia Model High School on the outskirts of Peshawar.

The driver died in the blast while the two injured schoolchildren were taken to hospital but one of them succumbed to injuries.

Administration official Siraj Ahmad said the blast was caused by a roadside bomb, of the type used to deadly affect by Taliban militants against US troops in neighbouring Afghanistan and government troops in northwest Pakistan.

“It was a roadside explosion caused by an IED (improvised explosive device). The school bus was very close by, that’s why it damaged the bus,” Ahmad said. “The driver died on the spot. Several children sustained injuries.”

Police did not rule out the possibility that the bomb may have missed its intended target.