By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA): At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured in an explosion at a public rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday evening, police and local media reported.

The explosion occurred at around 5 pm

The convention had been organized by the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), a coalition partner in the federal government in the Khar tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur distrlct, located near the border with Afghanistan.

Health officials fear the death toll could rise as several of the over 50 injured are in critical condition.

Maulana Ziaullah Jan, a key JUI-F leader in Khar, also passed away in the blast.

Footage aired on local broadcaster Samaa News showed JUI members and rescue workers carrying bodies and injured to ambulances as plumes of smoke billowed upward.

No immediate details were provided on the cause of the blast, the fourth in less than three weeks in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Hafiz Hamdullah, a Senator from the JUI confirmed the death toll and the number of injured to reporters.

JUI staff were making arrangements for the rally when the explosion erupted, Hamdullah added.

[Map of Pakistan from CIA factbook/Public Domain]