MANSEHRA, Nov 4: A local-made explosive device went off on Tuesday here at the Government College for Commerce and Science, and destroyed its wall but no loss of life was reported.

According to officials, the 2.5kg bomb, which was packed in a container and planted in a lavatory, went off at 11.05am when classes were in progress. The blast caused panic among the teachers and students, some of whom fainted due to fear. The explosion damaged the wall of the lavatory.

A contingent of police, under the command of district police officer, rushed to scene and cordoned off the areas and collected samples for further investigation.

Mohammad Ajmal, a teacher, told this correspondent that he was giving lecture to the students when the incident happened. “It was very heavy blast, and seems to be an act of terrorism but police have launched probe into the incident,” he said, adding that due to the bang, many students fell unconscious. The blast had created panic among the students and staff members and they rushed out of the classes in hasten.

Akhtar Hayat, who was present on the occasion, said that it was a low intensity blast, which had been planted by unknown persons. The local police were investigating the incident.

It would be worth mentioning here that in the October 8, 2005 earthquake, the building of the collage was completely destroyed and a new building was reconstructed with financial help of a foreign-funded programme. For the first time co-education was introduced in the collage.