At least 7 killed, 20 injured in suicide blast near peace rally in NW Pakistan

This photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 2, 2026 shows a police station near the site of a suicide blast in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The death toll from a suicide blast near a peace rally in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 14, while 26 others were injured, police sources told Xinhua on Sunday. (Str/Xinhua)

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and 20 others injured in a suicide blast near a police station close to the venue of a peace rally in Swat district of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, the police chief of the district said.

"The explosion occurred near the gate of a police station at the time when a public gathering was concluding in a closer proximity," Muhammad Umar, district police officer of Swat, told Xinhua.

The killed and injured include both civilians of the rally and the policemen, he added.

The suicide bomber attempted to enter the police station, but was intercepted by a policeman at the main gate, where he detonated the explosives he was carrying, he added.

Rescue teams and security personnel rushed to the scene and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals.

Police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation as investigators collected evidence from the blast site.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Authorities are investigating the incident. ■

This photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 2, 2026 shows a damaged bicycle at a suicide blast site in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The death toll from a suicide blast near a peace rally in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 14, while 26 others were injured, police sources told Xinhua on Sunday. (Str/Xinhua)

This photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 2, 2026 shows people gathering at a suicide blast site in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The death toll from a suicide blast near a peace rally in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 14, while 26 others were injured, police sources told Xinhua on Sunday. (Str/Xinhua)