MIRANSHAH: At least one person was killed and 19 others, including two security personnel, were injured in a blast near the Chashma Sarbandki checkpost on the Bannu–Miranshah main road in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district on Friday, police and hospital officials said.

Police sources told Dawn that initial information showed that the blast was caused by the detonation of explosives in a vehicle near the checkpost.

The Bannu–Miranshah road was closed for traffic following the incident.

Miranshah district headquarters hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Asif Iqbal told Dawn that the condition of four people among the injured was critical.

He said an emergency had been declared at the hospital following the incident.

Police officials told Dawn that the area where the incident took place had been cordoned off, further investigation was under way and evidence was being collected.

The incident comes roughly three weeks after two people were killed and 17 others injured in a powerful explosion near Miryan Police Station in KP’s Bannu district on February 16.

Police said the blast occurred when a time bomb planted in a motorcycle detonated. A child was among those killed in the explosion.