Two people were killed and 14 others injured in a gun and bomb attack targeting a bus in Attock, local police told DawnNewsTV on Thursday.

The deceased included the driver of the vehicle and a passerby — a first-year student — police officials said.

Police initially believed the attack had been caused by a suicide bomber, but security sources said a vehicle-borne IED had been used in the attack. The same sources put the toll at one dead and seven injured. They said a rescue operation had been initiated in the area.

Three of the injured — including a child — were seriously injured, the medical superintendent of the Isfandyar Bukhari District Hospital, Attock said.

He added that two men were shifted to Rawalpindi while the child was being treated at his hospital.

District Emergency Officer (DEO) Dr Ashfaq said an as yet unidentified attacker had opened fire at the bus as it slowed down at a speed breaker.

When the driver of the bus disembarked and attempted to get hold of the attacker, the latter detonated explosives, killing himself, the driver and a passerby identified by the hospital as Habib Khan.

Security forces cordoned off the area following the incident. DawnNewsTV reported that IG Punjab has issued a red alert after the incident, ordering the security around sensitive installations, educational institutes, religious places and markets to be beefed up.