[http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=329836]

A minibus carrying Shiite Muslims hit a roadside bomb in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing 12 of them and injuring many.

The incident took place shortly after the victims left Spai, a predominantly Shiite village in the Orakzai tribal area, said local government official Jamil Khan. They were headed for the nearby district of Kohat, he said.

The bomb exploded in Sepoy village in Orakzai district, said senior administration official Zakir Hussain.

“It was remote-controlled bomb planted on the road. The bomb exploded near a pick-up van carrying passengers,” Hussain told AFP.

The blast killed 12 people, including two women, an 11-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl, he said, adding that four people were seriously wounded.

Intelligence officials confirmed the blast and the casualties.

Orakzai is one of seven districts in Pakistan’s tribal belt on the Afghan border that is home to Taliban and al Qaeda strongholds.