Army shell kills 6 civilians

An army shell intended for a militant hide-out accidentally killed six civilians in northwestern Pakistan, police said.

Dozens of people dragged the bodies onto the main highway running through North- West Frontier Province, blocking traffic to protest the killings.

The demonstrators chanted “Stop the killing of innocent people” and “Stop this cruelty,” said Hashim Khan, a resident who participated. The protest lasted about two hours and then broke up peacefully, he said.

Killed were three women, two children and a man, a local police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. The accident occurred in Shahu Khel, a town in the Hangu district of the province, he said.