Deadly blast at checkpoint near Peshawar

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- At least 30 people were killed and more than 70 hurt Saturday by a suicide car bomb blast in Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province, officials said.

The explosion occurred as Asif Ali Zardari, spouse of the late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was elected the country's president.

A pickup truck loaded with explosives ran down several police officers at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Peshawar, the Daily Times of Pakistan reported. Seven of the dead were reported to be police officers.

The blast destroyed two nearby markets, burying shoppers and shopkeepers in the wreckage.

While there had been no claim of responsibility for the bombing, Pakistan is engaged in an intense struggle with Taliban militants in the region.