Bomb Kills 11 Relatives in Pakistan Tribal Belt

A bomb tore through a vehicle in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt on Wednesday, killing 11 members of an extended family, including two children, officials said.

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

"It was a remote-controlled bomb planted on the road. The bomb exploded near a pick-up van carrying passengers," Hussain told Agence France Presse.

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

Three others later succumbed to their injuries in the hospital, and all the victims were close relatives, he added.

"It was a militant attack, the aim was to create panic in the area by killing ordinary people," Hussain said.

Orakzai is one of seven districts in Pakistan's tribal belt on the Afghan border that is home to Taliban and al-Qaida strongholds. Washington has dubbed the area the most dangerous region on Earth.