At least 34 people were killed on Wednesday and 45 others were injured when a suicide bomber detonated himself at a funeral in northwestern Pakistan.

At least 34 people were killed on Wednesday and 45 others were injured when a suicide bomber detonated himself at a funeral in northwestern Pakistan.

Police and witnesses said the bomber had slipped into the congregation of more than 200 people attending funeral prayers for the wife of a known anti-Taliban militiaman in Adezai village, near Peshawar city.

"We have received 34 dead bodies and 45 injured. Eleven of the injured are in a very critical condition. Some of the dead are in pieces," Abdul Hameed Afridi, head of the main hospital in Peshawar city, told AFP.

Police officer Mohammad Ijaz Khan confirmed the bomber's target.
"The target of the bombing was members of the anti-Taliban militia," Khan said.
We have sent teams to remove the bodies and shift the injured to the hospital," he added.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani issued a statement condemning the attack and reiterated the government's "resolve to root out the cancer of terrorism from every nook and corner of the country".

Peshawar city lies at the gateway to the country's remote and militant-infested tribal regions.