Five of a family killed in hotel blast in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: At least five people, women among them, were killed and two others seriously wounded in a powerful blast at a hotel in the provincial capital Peshawar in the wee hours of Friday, ARY News reported.

According to rescue and police sources, the blast occurred at around 3:00 am on the third floor of the hotel located at GT Road. As a result, five people were killed while two others suffered serious wounds.

After being informed of the explosion, rescue and police teams reached the spot to take care of the victims.

A police official said following the blast a huge fire broke out at the hotel, which was later doused by firefighters.

He said all the deceased belonged to the same family. The dead bodies along with the injured have been transported to Lady Reading Hospital, he added.

The exact cause of the blast is yet not clear, however, investigators citing initial investigation say the explosion occurred because of gas leakage.