Suicide Blast Kills at Least 27 in Pakistan

At funeral for a man killed Monday

suicide bomb blast at a funeral in northwest Pakistan killed at least 20 people Tuesday, including a newly elected provincial lawmaker, authorities said.

Authorities later revised the casualty toll upward, saying 27 people died and 57 others were injured.

Police said they were looking into whether the target may have been Imran Mohmand, the independent candidate in the May 11 parliament and provincial assembly elections who was killed in the blast. He was among those attending the funeral for a man who had been shot and killed on Monday.

The attack occurred in Mardan, a small, largely Pashtun city located about 85 miles from Islamabad, the capital.

Officials said the bomber was able to approach the crowd despite the presence of several police officers providing security at the funeral. Some of those officers were among the casualties, said Jafar Khan, a senior Mardan police official.