Blast kills 9 in Pakistan's Punjab

LAHORE, Pakistan, July 13 (UPI) -- An explosion Monday in a village in Pakistan's Punjab province killed nine people and injured more than 70 others, authorities said.

The blast occurred in a house near a school where children had gathered for religious education in the village of Mian Channu, Geo TV reported.

Several other homes nearby were destroyed in the blast and the death toll was expected to rise as many people were reported trapped in the rubble.

Those killed in the blast included seven children, one woman and one man, the report said, quoting hospital officials. Among the injured, 12 were reported in critical condition.

The state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported the explosion might have been caused by explosives hidden in the house.

Though far away from Pakistan's violence-hit tribal regions, the southeastern Punjab province also is seeing a rise in Taliban violence.