An explosion tore through a busy market in Sarai Naurang, in Pakistan’s Lakki Marwat district, on 2026-05-12, killing at least 9 people and wounding dozens more. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Among the dead were 2 police personnel and civilians, officials and reports said. [1, 2, 4, 5] Emergency workers and medical staff said the seriously injured were taken to hospitals in Bannu, while THQ Hospital received 37 patients. [1, 2]
Reports gave different injury totals. Some said about 30 people were wounded, while others said more than 20 were hurt, with 22 receiving treatment, and one report put the number at 35. [1, 2, 4, 5] No group immediately claimed responsibility. [2, 3, 4, 5]
The blast came days after a separate deadly attack in the same broader region that killed 15 police personnel on 2026-05-09. [1] Pakistan has accused the Pakistan Taliban, or TTP, of using safe havens in Afghanistan, while Kabul has denied the allegation. [2, 4, 5] Zabihullah Mujahid called Pakistan’s latest claims that an attack on a police centre in Bannu was planned in Afghanistan "baseless and rejected." [2]
Officials had not yet confirmed the nature of the explosion, though some reports said it was suspected that explosive material was planted in a loader rickshaw. [4, 5]
