45 dead after explosives ignite in Pakistan

Explosives used for road building ignited in a home in a northern Pakistani village, killing 45 people and injuring 150 others, police said today.

The explosives were stored in the residence of a local contractor, Waris Khan, who died in the blast in the village of Ghair early today, said Hussain Khan, a police official. The blast was believed to have been accidental, he said.

The explosion happened at 2am and several homes in the village, where houses are clustered close together, caught fire, the policeman said. Many of the 45 dead were women and children, and police were digging through debris searching for more bodies, he said.

The home which stored the explosives was made of wood, and it was believed that an electrical short circuit caused a fire in the storage area, igniting the explosives, said an Interior Ministry official.