Five children were killed and 12 others were injured when a mortar shell they were playing with exploded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat area on Saturday.

Aamir Khan, spokesperson for the Bannu region police, told Dawn.com that the children found the mortar shell in the field and took it to their village, Sorband, thinking it was a toy.

“The shell exploded, resulting in the deaths of five children and leaving 12 others critically injured,” he said. “The deceased and injured children have been transported to Khalifa Gul Nawaz hospital,” the spokesperson said, adding that the injured children were being provided medical treatment in the emergency ward.

A statement issued by Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan said he visited the hospital to enquire about the condition of the injured.

“He checked on their condition, encouraged them and met with hospital administration to review the provision of treatment, availability of medicines, and other medical facilities in detail.”

It added that the Bomb Disposal Squad arrived at the scene, collected evidence and initiated an investigation.

According to the statement, the RPO vowed that all possible assistance would be provided to the affected families and those responsible would soon be brought to justice. RPO Khan also met with the relatives of the injured and assured them of full support.

Children playing with explosives, thinking they are toys, is not a new phenomenon.

In October 2023, a child lost his life while eight others were injured when a hand grenade exploded in the Zarchain area of Balochistan’s Wadh city.

The month before, nine people, including four children, lost their lives while a woman was injured when a “rocket launcher’s” ordnance exploded in a house in Sindh’s Kashmore district.