PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN (AFP) - A blast on a bus carrying government employees in restive north-west Pakistan on Friday killed at least 10 people and wounded 47 others.

The incident happened in Peshawar, the main city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has been hit by numerous bomb and gun attacks blamed on Taleban insurgents in recent years.

Police said the blast appeared to have been caused by a bomb, but this has yet to be confirmed. Gas fuel cylinders sometimes cause explosions on buses in Pakistan.

"Ten people have been killed and more than 30 wounded. I fear the death toll will increase," Mr Zahirul Islam, deputy commissioner of Peshawar, told AFP. Mr Najeebur Rehman, a senior police official, confirmed the death toll, while hospital officials said at least 47 wounded have been admitted.