TANK, Pakistan: Six children were wounded when their school minibus hit a landmine in a troubled Pakistani tribal area yesterday, officials in the area said.

Local government officials suspected the mine could have been planted by tribal militants supporting Al Qaeda and Afghanistan’s Taleban guerrillas.

Two of the children were in a critical condition, said one official, who requested anonymity.

The children were on their way to school at Shakai, 75km northwest of Tank town, in the South Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan.

The vehicle was badly damaged, the official said on condition of anonymity.

“Six children from Suffa Public School in Shakai were wounded, two of them seriously,” he said.

He blamed rebel tribesmen for the attack, adding that the device had likely been planted to target security vehicles.