PARACHINAR, Jan 31: Two polio workers were killed when their motorbike hit a roadside bomb in Kurram tribal region on Thursday, an administration official said.

The two were on their way to Malikhel village to vaccinate children against the crippling disease when their motorcycle hit the bomb, killing them on the spot, the source said.

The official pointed out that Malikhel village in Upper Kurram was a peaceful area and there had been no security issues there. The blast was the first incident of its kind in the area, he said.

The official said an investigation had been launched into the incident.

The area is inhabited by the Shia community and authorities suspect the incident might have a sectarian dimension to it. “It has nothing to do with attacks on polio workers elsewhere in the country. This is terrorism aimed at subverting the efforts for peace,” said Haji Hamid Hussain, an elder of the Tori Bangash tribe.