LANDI KOTAL, April 4: Seven people, among them an oil dealer, were killed and three others wounded when a passenger van was blown up in a roadside bomb blast in Jamrud Tehsil of Khyber Agency on Wednesday.

Official sources said a remote-controlled device placed along a road at Shah Kas locality was detonated at around 8.30am. It appeared that the target was the passenger van going to Jamrud bazaar from Qadam, they said, adding that seven people were killed.

The vehicle was destroyed in the explosion.

“Six passengers, including oil dealer Haji Gulab, were killed on the spot while a critically injured person died in hospital,” Asmat Ullah Wazir, political tehsildar Jamrud said.

He said that Haji Gulab was previously involved in the business of fuel supplies for Nato forces in Afghanistan and had received threats recently.

“At the moment we can only presume that Haji Gulab might have been the target, but we are investigating the incident,” he said.

Sajid Afridi, a resident of the area, said he saw human flesh and body parts scattered at the scene of explosion and the three injured screaming for help. The injured were taken to the Hayatabad Medical Complex.