At least four people have been killed in a suicide bombing that hit a US consular vehicle in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar.

Two Americans working for the US consulate were wounded in Monday's bomb attack on their vehicle, the American embassy said.

The blast also wounded two Pakistani employees of the consulate, the embassy in Islamabad said in a statement.
Earlier, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, regional information minister, at least four people, including two Americans, were killed in an attack by a suicide bomber in a vehicle.

A policeman told Associated Press news agency that an explosive-filled car struck the US government vehicle after it had left the consulate. Seventeen more people were reportedly injured in the attack.

The identities of those killed remains unclear.

'Foreign nationals'

Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from Islamabad, said: "What we are hearing is that there are people dead, and a number of people are wounded after a vehicle slammed into a US consulate vehicle."

There is "some suggestion that those who are injured are foreign nationals", he said, adding that there are "conflicting reports as to who exactly was targeted in this attack".

The blast took place near residential quarters for the US consulate and foreign aid organizations, Tahir Ayub, a senior police officer, told AFP news agency.

The area hosts several foreign organizations, including the UN.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which left a crater along a busy street.

Firemen could be seen putting out a vehicle that was destroyed in the explosion.

Television stations repeatedly broadcast an image of a US passport at the scene, its corners scorched by fire.

Peshawar is situated near tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

PHOTO CAPTION

Rescue worker survey a damaged vehicle after it was hit during a bomb attack in Peshawar September 3, 2012. Two Americans working for the U.S. consulate were wounded in a bomb attack on their vehicle in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Monday, the American embassy said.

Al-Jazeera