Pakistani police say at least 16 people were killed and dozens injured after two explosions destroyed an anti-terrorism police headquarters in the Swat Valley in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, but officials said the blasts were caused by stored ammunition and not terrorism.
The blasts killed at least 13 police officers and three civilians, officials said. The local Health Department said another 57 people have been treated for injuries.
Authorities on April 24 said the Pakistani military had taken control of the area.
Officials initially labeled the incident as “a suspected suicide attack,” but police later said ammunition stored at the site appeared to be the cause of the blasts.
The outlawed Tehrik-e Taliban (TTP) -- also known as the Pakistani Taliban -- has often carried out terror attacks in the region and were initially suspected by many in the region.
TTP militants have staged a gradual comeback in the tribal districts following a deadlock with the Pakistani authorities in peace talks launched last year.
The Pakistani military has increased operations in the region, but many local residents have protested against the lack of security following a rash of attacks, including one that killed more than 80 people at a mosque inside the Peshawar police headquarters in January.