At least 15 people were killed and over 25 injured when a powerful car bomb ripped through a crowded market in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, the latest in a string of deadly attacks across the country amid a major army offensive against the Taliban in the restive tribal belt.

The blast occurred in Farooq-e-Azam Chowk, the main commercial area in Charsadda town, shortly after 4.20 pm local time. The area was crowded at the time of the explosion, which was the third consecutive attack in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) since Sunday. Witnesses said the bomb was planted in a car.

Charsadda district police chief Riaz Mohammad Khan said 15 people were killed and more than 25 injured in the attack. A witness said he had seen several injured elderly persons and school children whose clothes were stained with blood.

Police cordoned off the area as local residents and rescue service workers rushed the injured to hospitals in Charsadda and Peshawar. An emergency was declared in hospitals in both cities.

Dozens of shops and residential buildings and several cars were devastated by the blast. The windows of the office of Geo News channel were blown out by the blast. Rescue workers said they feared several people could still be buried in the rubble of shops that had collapsed.