Story highlights
- One family loses 18 members in the attack
- The Pakistani Taliban denies responsibility, condemns attack
- At least 40 were killed and about 100 wounded in an attack on historic Pakistani bazaar
- Witness: "Everything was on fire. Women and children were burning"
At least 40 people were killed and about 100 were wounded after a bomb exploded at a bazaar in Peshawar on Sunday, officials at a Pakistani hospital said.
A car carrying 220 kilograms (485 pounds) of explosives detonated in the city's historic Qissa Khawani bazaar, destroying at least 10 shops and several vehicles and leaving a huge crater, said Shafqat Malik, chief of the bomb disposal unit.
The Pakistani Taliban, Tehrik-i-Taliban, condemned the attack and denied any involvement.
Alamzeb Khan was working at a nearby tea stall Sunday when he felt the earth shake. The impact of the blast knocked him to the ground.
"When I got up, everything was on fire. Women and children were burning in (a) Suzuki pickup, and a number of vehicles were destroyed, besides the shops (that) were also on fire," Khan said.
The death toll is expected to rise, as most of the wounded are critically injured, said Dr. Arshad Javed, chief executive of Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
Already, people are sharing stories of incredible loss. One family traveled to Peshawar to attend a wedding. Now they're planning a mass funeral. In all, the family lost 18 members in the attack, including children.