At least 20 killed and dozens more injured after bomb explodes in Landi Kotal, near border with Afghanistan

At least 20 people have been killed after a car bomb exploded in a crowded bazaar in north-west Pakistan, according to hospital and government officials.

The bomb was detonated in Landi Kotal, a town in the tribal region of Khyber, near the border with Afghanistan. Officials said more than 50 others were wounded in the attack and a number of shops and vehicles were damaged.

Television footage showed the charred remains of a car believed to have been used in the attack, and residents rushing to help take victims to hospitals.

Khalid Mumtaz, a Pakistan government administrator, said hundreds of people had been in the market when someone parked the car with the explosives, which detonated minutes later.

"The blast was so powerful, it was heard far and wide and caused damage to nearby buildings," said Sher Mohammad Shinwari, a resident. He said most of the casualties were fruit and vegetable traders, who were working on their push-cart stalls.

Shopkeeper Khan Mohammed, 45, said he was sitting with his nephew when he saw a vehicle stopping in the street. Moments later he heard the blast. "Something hit me in my shoulder and I fainted," he said from a hospital bed. Two of his nephews, who were outside the shop at the time of the explosion, were killed and he was worried for friends who were hurt in the attack, he said.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicions have fallen on the Taliban in Pakistan, who have previously targeted security forces in bombing and shooting attacks.

The town is near the main border crossing point of Torkham, which is one of two routes used to deliver Nato supplies across the border into Afghanistan. Security officials told Reuters that the target appeared to be a tribal leader allied with the government against the Pakistani Taliban.

The Pakistani army has carried out a number of operations to flush out Islamist militants in the Khyber region.