PESHAWAR: At least nine people, including three children, were killed and several others wounded Monday when a blast rocked the house of a tribal elder in the northwestern Khyber tribal region.

According to officials, the explosion hit the house of Hakeem Khan Akakhel, a tribal elder in a remote village in Khyber's Tirah valley, close to the Afghan border.

Senior local administration official, Nasir Khan, said the explosion occurred in the reception area of the home of the tribal elder.

According to reports, the nine killed in the blast included three children. Three suspected militants were also among the dead.

Officials said they were still trying to ascertain the exact nature of the blast.