A minister and his family members were injured when a parcel bomb exploded at his home [EPA]

The blast occurred in a village in Upper Dir district of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) while worshippers were attending Friday prayers.

Atif-ur-Rehman, a government administrator in Upper Dir, was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying: "Around 40 people are killed. We have no idea as yet how many have been wounded."

Another administrator said the death toll was between 40 and 42.

The latest blast is the ninth bomb attack in the country since the army launched a major offensive against the Taliban in neighbouring Swat valley.

The operation is aimed at flushing out Taliban fighters from the region.

Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, was in Islamabad on Friday to consult the country's leaders on what needs to be done after confronting the Taliban in the Swat valley.

Elsewhere, a member of Pakistan's parliament and his family were wounded on Friday when a parcel bomb exploded at his home in the southern city of Karachi, police said.

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