Blast kills 5 at at centre for displaced in Pakistan

A blast hit an office registering people displaced by a military offensive in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least five people, police and witnesses said.

“People were lined up for registration in the office when the blast took place,” Rapheel Hussain, a resident of the area, said by telephone. A police official said 300 people were gathered in the office. He said the death toll was likely to rise.

Taliban militants have carried out suicide bombings in a bid to topple Pakistan’s US-backed government.