8 dead in Pakistan election celebrations: officials

Peshawar: Eight people were killed after local elections in northwest Pakistan when supporters of a losing candidate threw hand grenades at celebrations staged by the winner, officials said Monday.

The incident, which left another 10 people wounded, happened Sunday in Tank district 250 kilometres (160 miles) south of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

"Supporters of Wali Khan, the winning candidate in the local elections, were celebrating his victory by dancing to drums and aerial firing, which infuriated supporters of the losing candidate," senior administration official Kifayat Ullah told AFP.

"The loser's supporters threw hand grenades at the celebration, killing seven people on the spot. One died later in hospital."

A local police official confirmed the incident and toll, saying the scene of revelry turned into one of blood-soaked horror. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa held its first elections to local bodies in 10 years on Saturday.

According to provincial election commission data, as many as 84,420 candidates contested 41,762 seats.