WANA (North Waziristan), Aug 10: Four persons were killed when the vehicle of a tribal elder supporting ongoing military operation against militants hit a landmine in the Taza Ghondai area near here on Wednesday.

Malik Hadeen, head of a committee aiding the military campaign in the troubled tribal area, was returning home with his companion when their vehicle exploded after hitting a landmine 10km west of Wana Bazaar.

As a result, his nephews, Salahuddin and Abdul Kalam, another companion and a passerby, whose names could not be ascertained immediately, died on the spot.

Mr Hadeen suffered injuries in abdomen. He was brought to a paramilitary hospital and admitted to its intensive care unit in a critical condition.