LANDI KOTAL: Unidentified persons blew up a government school in Bara on Monday, officials said.

They said that miscreants planted explosive material in a school in Waliabad locality of Bar Qambarkhel at mid night. The explosion caused partial damage to the school building, they added.

The Khasadar Force later arrested at least five suspected men during a search operation. According to official figures, militants had destroyed 150 government schools in different parts of Bara during the last six years.

Meanwhile, the elders of Sipah tribe on Monday handed over at least 20 wanted tribesmen to the Khyber Agency political administration.

The administration had earlier asked the tribe to hand it over 118 Sipah tribesmen, wanted to the authorities in different cases.

A jirga member of Sipah tribe told Dawn that the surrendered men included schoolteachers, khasadars and ordinary tribesmen. He said that Bara assistant political agent assured them that all the surrendered men would be treated well. They would be investigated by a joint investigating team, he added.

The jirga members were assured by the administration that the surrendered men, if found guilty of any crime, would be kept at Al-Haj Market Internment Centre instead of sending them to jail.

CHILDREN DIE: Two children died of gastroenteritis and two others were killed when roof of a house collapsed in Landi Kotal.

Health officials said that three-year-old Marwa and two-year-old Qasim died of gastroenteritis after consuming some contaminated food. Agency Surgeon Dr Niaz Afridi told Dawn that he immediately sent health teams to Pasedkhel area where the two children had died and provided necessary medicines to at least 35 other patients , mostly children.

He said that drinking water in most of Pasedkhel houses was not clean and safe while the local people were also not following properly the hygienic ways of living.

Khasadar officials said that two minor boys were killed when roof of their house collapsed due to torrential rain in Loe Shalman area late on Sunday night.

They said several other houses were also partially damaged in different localities of Loe Shalman.