A blast in a passenger bus killed at least 10 persons Tuesday in Rawalpindi near Pakistani capital Islamabad, local media reported.

Pakistani police officers inspect a burnt bus after an explosion on a highway on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, July 12, 2011. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
Nature of the blast was not clear and TV channels reported that gas cylinder may have caused the explosion.

The bus with 30 people onboard caught fire after the blast and 10 passengers died of burn wounds.

Correspondents at the scene said they have counted 10 bodies. Several were injured and were shifted to hospitals by the police rescue teams.

The bus was destroyed in the blast. Traffic on the main highway between Rawalpindi and the eastern city of Lahore was suspended after the blast.

TV footage showed the burnt body of the bus and the rescue teams were collecting bodies of those dead.  

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet