- Children mistook the shell for a toy after they found it in fields in the village of Sorband
LAKKI MARWAT: Five children were killed and 12 others were injured when a mortar shell they mistook for a toy exploded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat area, the police confirmed on Saturday.
“The children found the mortar shell in the field and took it to their village, Sorband. However, it went off with a bang when they started playing with it…mistaking it for a toy,” Aamir Khan, spokesperson for the Bannu region police, informed the media.
“As a result of the explosion, five children died and 12 others sustained injuries, some of them critical,” he said. The spokesperson said the dead bodies and injured children were transported to Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital, where the condition of the injured children is stated to be stable.
Later, a statement said that Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan visited the hospital to inquire about the condition of the injured.
“He checked on their condition, encouraged them, and met with hospital administration to review the provision of treatment, availability of medicines, and other medical facilities in detail.”
It added that the Bomb Disposal Squad arrived at the scene, collected evidence, and initiated an investigation.
According to the statement, the RPO vowed that all possible assistance would be provided to the affected families and those responsible would soon be brought to justice. RPO Khan also met with the relatives of the injured and assured them of full support.
Children playing with explosives, thinking they are toys, is not a new phenomenon.
In October 2023, a child lost his life while eight others were injured when a hand grenade exploded in the Zarchain area of Balochistan’s Wadh city.
The month before, nine people, including four children, lost their lives while a woman was injured when a “rocket launcher’s” ordnance exploded in a house in Sindh’s Kashmore district.
