February 05, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 26, 1429

LANDI KOTAL, Feb 4: An explosive device went off in the Agency Headquarters Hospital here on Monday, damaging its record room, officials said. No loss of human life was reported.

Dr Zar Alam, medical superintendent of the hospital, told Dawn that the explosive device went off when the office was closed. He said that the room where the explosion occurred was duly locked.

He said that the blast damaged at least three computers, a printer, a scanner, an air conditioner and smashed the windowpanes and furniture. The record room is situated at the first floor of the hospital, adjacent to the office of medical superintendent. Dr Alam said that the entire record of the hospital was destroyed in the blast.

Landi Kotal political authorities registered a case against unidentified saboteurs and sealed the site of the blast immediately after the incident. So far no body has claimed responsibility for the blast. The hospital administration did receive any threat before the blast, officials said.

A similar blast on June 1, 2007, had destroyed the Children Resource Centre exactly at the same location on the hospital premises. The centre was renovated with the financial assistance of Save the Children.

Many in the hospital believe that the two blasts could be a result of a rivalry between some members of the hospital staff and medical superintendent. The hospital administration had only recently initiated an inquiry in a case of theft of medicines worth Rs460,000 from the hospital medical store.