Peshawar: At least eight people were killed and more than 50 were injured when two explosions shook a counterterrorism office in northwest Pakistan on Monday, according to the police.

It is still unclear what caused the explosions in the northwest Swat valley, which militants had long controlled before being driven out in a military operation in 2009, according to provincial police chief Akhtar Hayat.

In the picturesque valley, the birthplace of Mullah Fazlullah, the former leader of the Pakistani Taliban, who was killed in an airstrike in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2018, the militants also shot at and injured Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai in 2012.

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According to Hayat, a woman and her child who were passing by the building were also killed, making up the majority of those killed on Monday.

He claimed that the office had an old ammunition store, and that police were looking into whether that was what caused the explosions or whether a militant attack was the cause.

Sohail Khalid, the regional head of the counter-terrorism division, told reporters that although it didn't appear to be a suicide attack or a terrorist incident, the incident is unfortunate.

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He explained, "There was a store where we had a large number of weapons, and up until now we believe that there might have been some blast in it due to some carelessness. We are keeping all of our options open.

So far, no one has taken ownership. The regional hospital administration reported that it had received a number of injured patients, some of whom were in serious condition. Rescue workers and police were seen rushing the bloodied injured to the hospital in live television footage.

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It was an old building, according to Shafiqa Gul, a rescue official, and some of its sections had completely collapsed. We worry that there might be additional casualties, she said. Police and other law enforcement agencies are looking into the explosions, according to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.