05 October,2009 01:51 PM IST | | PTI
At least three persons - a foreigner and two women - were killed and several others injured on Monday in an explosion at the office of a UN agency in a high-security area in the heart of the Pakistani capital, police said.
The blast occurred inside the World Food Programme (WFP) office in Sector F-8. Deputy Inspector General of Police Bin Yamin told reporters that two Pakistani women employees of the WFP were killed while other police officials said the body of a foreigner had been taken to a nearby hospital.
Bin Yamin said the explosion was apparently caused by a planted device as no body parts of a suicide bomber had been found. Police officials said five or six more persons were injured in the explosion.
UN officials and people in nearby buildings were asked to evacuate the area after the blast, which occurred at 12.15 pm local time. About 80 people worked in the WFP office.
Smoke could be seen billowing out of the building after the blast. The WFP office, which was being guarded by a private security agency, and other UN organisations in Islamabad have been on high alert following intelligence reports that they could be targeted by militants.
Reports said the WFP office had received threats on three occasions but this could not be independently confirmed.
