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Car bomb in Pakistan kills 12, injures 32

By Nasir Habib, CNN
updated 7:34 AM EDT, Thu March 21, 2013
A blast victim is taken to a hospital following a car bomb blast at a refugee camp in Pakistan on Thursday.
A blast victim is taken to a hospital following a car bomb blast at a refugee camp in Pakistan on Thursday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: About 200,00 people live at the camp.
  • The camp houses internally displaced people from northwestern Pakistan
  • An estimated 30-35 kilograms of explosives were used in the car bomb
  • Militants have a strong presence in the region, which borders Afghanistan.

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A car bomb exploded Thursday at a northwest Pakistan camp for internally displaced people, killing 12 people and injuring 32 others, police said.

The Jalozai camp is located about 35 kilometers (22 miles) outside of Peshawar and houses hundreds of thousands of people who have left the country's volatile tribal region.

Authorities estimate the car contained 30-35 kilograms (66-77 lbs) of explosive material.

Three other vehicles were destroyed in the blast.

People at the camp were returning after receiving their rations -- packages containing basic supplies like rice, flour and soap, according to Noor Akbar Afridi, the head of the camp. About 200,00 people live at the camp.

Some of those injured and killed were with a World Food Program affiliate that distributes the food aid.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which Peshawar is the capital, is rife with Islamic extremists and has been the site of recent clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants.

It was formerly known as the North West Frontier Province, a name assigned during the British colonial rule. The ruling party changed the name to reflect the province's majority Pashtun population.

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