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ISLAMABAD, Oct 21 (AFP) - A blast in a Pakistani bazaar crowded with shoppers in the country's north-west killed a 10-year-old girl and wounded 20 others, police said Monday.

A bomb wrapped in a plastic bag exploded at the gate of the bazaar in Kamra, a garrison town 70 kilometers (42 miles) north-west of the capital Islamabad, at around 5.30 pm (1230 GMT) Sunday.

The girl was rushed to a local military hospital where she died later of her injuries, Kamra police officer Nasrullah told AFP.

The bomb had been planted in a flower pot near a bicycle stand at the makeshift Sunday bazaar, which was packed with shoppers from nearby villages.

"It was quite powerful, it rattled the area and the bang was heard several kilometers away," Nasrullah said.

"Luckily there was no rush at the bicycle stand, which averted heavy casualties."

The wounded, including 19 men and one woman, were being treated in a civilian hospital in the neighbouring district of Attock.

"They are improving and their condition is stable," Nasrullah said.

Islamabad police investigators said one pound (450 grams) of low intensity explosives was used in the blast, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

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