Islamabad, April 22 (IANS): At least four people were killed and 33 injured Tuesday when a bomb exploded near a police vehicle in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police and eyewitnesses said.

The bomb targetting the police vehicle exploded early Tuesday at Nowshera Road in Charsadda district , Xinhua reported.

Police said that a large number of people were injured as the road passes through a busy market area, and there were many people including women and children in the market when the blast occurred.

Police officer Shafi Ullah said that the bomb was triggered by a remote controlled device and the explosives were fixed in a motorbike parked at the roadside.

The bomb was detonated when the police vehicle carrying some 13 personnel passed near the motorbike.

The injured, including 11 policemen, three children and two women were shifted to the Charsadda district hospital from where 10 critically injured were later shifted to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar for specialised treatment.

Several nearby shops were destroyed in the blast.

Six people including five policemen were killed and four injured late Monday when unknown gunmen opened fire at a police vehicle in Peshawar city.