Central Pakistan explosion kills nine

A massive explosion killed at least nine people - seven of them children - in a central Pakistan village today.

The blast in the Mian Channu area left an enormous crater at the scene, wounded dozens of people and flattened houses. according to officials and TV footage.

Officials said remnants of explosives were found at the scene, suggesting they had been stored there and could have gone off accidentally.

The blast is a reminder that security in Pakistan has deteriorated well beyond the north-west region bordering Afghanistan.

Naeem Sadiq, an official at the nearest hospital, said nine bodies were brought there, including those of seven children, one woman and one man. Some 50 wounded people reached the hospital, many in critical condition.