Residents gather near the bodies of bomb blast victims during funeral ceremony in the city of Dera Ismail Khan, some 270 km (170 miles) southwest of Islamabad, Feb. 21, 2009. A suicide bomber killed 27 people and wounded 65 on Friday in an attack on a funeral procession for a Shi'ite Muslim gunned down a day earlier in Dera Ismail Khan, officials said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    ISLAMABAD, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 22 persons were killed and 67 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up during a funeral procession in northwestern Pakistan on Friday.

    The official Associated Press of Pakistan quoted District Coordination Officer (DCO) of Dera Ismail Khan city in North West Frontier Province Syed Mohsin Shah as saying that the suicide blast occurred near Sobra hotel in the area.

Pakistan army soldiers patrol the streets of Dera Ismail Khan, some 270 km (170 miles) southwest of Islamabad, February 23, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The suicide bomber struck the people who accompanied the body of a Shia elder called Sher Zaman who was killed on Thursday by unknown gunmen. The people were moving towards the graveyard when the bomber blew himself up.

    Syed Mohsin Shah said that an investigation team had been formed and vowed that perpetrators behind the attack would soon be brought to justice. He said a curfew had been imposed in the city and army had been called in.

Pakistan army soldiers stand guard on a street during a curfew imposed after a bomb attack in the city of Dera Ismail Khan, some 270 km (170 miles) southwest of Islamabad, Feb. 21, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    However, local TV channels put the death toll at 31.

    Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the incident.