PESHAWAR, Feb 11: An MPA of the Awami National Party was killed and eight others were injured when his car was hit by a powerful bomb at a link road in Momin Town here on Wednesday morning.

Alamzeb Khan, who was accompanied by his brother Aurangzeb, died on the spot after a bomb ripped through his car.

Those injured in the blast were identified as Hanif-ur-Rehman, Syed Abu-ul-Hassan, Tehmed, Liaquat Shah, Musharraf, Abdullah, police constable Daud Khan and a minor girl Zar Lala.

All the injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital. Of them, the condition of six was stated to be precarious.

The NWFP government has announced a three-day mourning over the tragedy.

“The explosive device appeared to be remote-controlled and its target was Mr Alamzeb,” a senior police official said.

Officials of the bomb disposal squad said the bomb weighed five kilograms and was planted in a wheelbarrow.

The official said a tyre of the wheelbarrow was found at the scene, adding that a portion of the road was damaged.

“We were walking towards a bazaar and when Alamzeb Khan saw us, he got off the car, talked to us and then drove away. He had hardly gone 300 yards when we heard a deafening explosion,” Maqsood, who lives near the scene of the tragedy, told Dawn.

He said the police reached the spot in about 20 minutes. The lawmaker had suffered chest and head injuries and was unable to speak.

A police official said the MPA was going to attend a college function at 10am when he fell victim to the blast.

Witnesses said the explosion destroyed newly-constructed buildings on both sides of the road.

The explosion destroyed gates, windows and ventilators of several houses. It shattered windowpanes of shops and houses and knocked out power and telephone lines.

The Sui Northern Gas Pipeline suspended gas supply to the area to repair damaged pipelines, an official said.

Police have registered a case against unidentified terrorists at the Paharipura Police Station.