Seven people were martyred, including four children, on Saturday as a bomb exploded near Ashura procession.

Seven people were martyred, including four children, on Saturday as a bomb exploded near Ashura procession.

At least 30 people including five other children were also wounded when the remote controlled bomb packed with ball bearings exploded on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The blast went off as people commemorating Ashura were gathering to mark the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussain a.s.in 680 (Hijri).

Security was tight across the country to prevent such sectarian attacks. Pakistan on Friday suspended mobile phone services in major cities -- mobiles are often used to trigger bombs.

"The death toll is now seven, four of them are children," local hospital chief Aziz Baluch told AFP.
"Four of the wounded were in critical condition, they have been shifted to the central city of Multan."

Akhtar Nawaz, another official at the state run District Headquarters Hospital said three children were already dead on arrival, while four other people died in hospital.