Charsadda, 10 Nov. (AKI) - At least 24 people were killed and more than 40 others were injured in the latest bomb attack to strike the volatile northwestern region of Pakistan. According to  Pakistan's GeoNews, a car bomb exploded in a busy shopping street in the town of Charsadda, 20 kilometres from the city of Peshawar, in the North West Frontier Province.

As Pakistani authorities continued to search for survivors in the rubble, there were fears that the death toll could rise. Hospital sources quoted by Pakistan's Geo News said many of the victims were women and children.

Pakistani prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and president Asif Ali Zardari condemned the suicide blast on Tuesday, reiterating their resolve to fight terrorism.

The attack is the third to target the region around the city of Peshawar in the past week.

More than 300 people have been killed in a wave of attacks since Pakistani troops launched an assault against the Taliban in South Waziristan.

The powerful blast, which exploded at an intersection just outside the market destroyed windowpanes of nearby buildings and knocked down electrical wires.

The bomb attack occurred as the Pakistani military was continuing its ground and air offensive against militants in South Waziristan bordering Afghanistan.

The army claims nearly 500 militants have been killed in the military action that began in mid-October.

On Monday, a suicide bomber killed himself and at least four people near a police checkpoint in Peshawar. (Photo) A day earlier at least 12 were killed in a suicide bomb attack near the city.