Islamabad  - A car bomb exploded outside the offices of a Pakistani intelligence agency in the north-western city of Peshawar Friday morning, killing at least four people, officials said.

Up to 16 people were wounded in the blast that took place in the city's Khyber Road area at around 6:45 am (0045 GMT), said Abdullah Khan, a duty officer at the emergency department of the state-run Lady Reading Hospital.

"We have so far received four bodies and injured people are still pouring in," Khan said.

The explosion severely damaged the intelligency agency's building, and officials fear that people might be trapped under the rubble.

Friday's bombing was the latest in the string of attacks that hit Pakistani towns and cities after government troops launched an offensive against the Taliban militants in the South Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border in mid-October. (dpa)