HANGU: The death toll in the car bomb explosion in Hangu district mounted to 35 on Friday, police said.

Fifty-five people were also injured in the explosion that flattened a market and several other buildings.

Funeral prayers of the deceased were being held in Hangu and adjoining areas.

Rescue workers and police moreover completed the relief work and debris from collapsed buildings had been removed.

A Taliban spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, called journalists to claim responsibility for the attack.