The death toll from a bomb explosion on January 21 at a market in a mainly Shi'ite area of Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt has risen to 21.
The explosion took place in Parachinar city, the capital of the Kurram tribal district on the Afghan border, when the market was crowded with retailers buying fruits and vegetables from a wholesale shop, officials said.
The head of Parachinar headquarters hospital, Doctor Mumtaz told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that 78 people were injured in the blast. Fourteen of them are in a critical condition and have been airlifted to a hospital in Peshawar.
The blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) hidden in a vegetable box.
The Kurram district is known for sectarian clashes between Sunnis and Shi'a, who make up around 20 percent of Pakistan's population of 200 million.
Several militant groups have claimed responsibility for the attack in e-mails sent to Radio Mashaal.
A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban -- the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al Alami said the two groups coordinated the attack together.
Two splinter groups of the TTP have also claimed responsibility for the attack.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
