A broken toy lies among debris in a house. (Picture for representation: Reuters)

Dean James AMERICA’S FREEDOM FIGHTERS –

Six children have died and two others were wounded when they picked up an unexploded bomb in north western Pakistan after apparently mistaking it for a toy.

The bomb exploded while the children were playing with it in Speenmark village in the South Waziristan tribal district early in the morning.

Muhammed Umer, whose nephew was one of two children wounded in the blast, said “Four of them died on the spot, one on the way to hospital, and one at the hospital.”

“Six children aged between six to 12 years, all boys, were killed by a toy bomb and two others wounded critically,” a local government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Another local security official confirmed the incident and casualties. The origin of the bomb was unclear.

Dozens of children, mostly in northwest Pakistan, have lost their lives in the past when playing with “toys” that turned out to be explosive devices, News 18 reports.

“Toy” bombs were airdropped in neighboring Afghanistan by Soviet forces during the 1980s as weapons against those who opposed their invasion.

A day earlier, two children in a nearby village were also killed after they stepped on a landmine while playing in fields, STV reports.

At least 31 people, including several children, have been disabled or killed in blasts from improvised explosive devices since 2016 in the region, the Government said.

Sad.

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