A suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives in the middle of a crowd gathered for a volleyball game in a northwest Pakistan village, killing at least 40 people.
It marked a bloody start to 2010 for Pakistan, which has seen a surge in attacks blamed on Taliban militants in recent months as Islamist fighters avenge military operations aimed at crushing their northwest strongholds.
In the village of Shah Hasan Khan in Bannu district, which borders Taliban stronghold South Waziristan, a man detonated his vehicle as sports fans gathered at a field to watch two local teams face off at volleyball.
"The villagers were watching the match between the two village teams when the bomber rashly drove his double-cabin pick-up vehicle into them and blew it up," district police chief Mohammad Ayub Khan told AFP.
"At least 40 people have died and the toll is likely to rise," he added, estimating the crowd at the game to number about 200.
One of his deputies, Habibullah Khan, said that 50 people were also wounded.
Ramzan Bittani, a 33-year-old driver, told AFP by telephone from a local hospital that he had left the match to take a call.
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