In Pakistan, a car bomb ripped through a crowded market in northwestern city of Peshawar today killing at least 90 people and injuring over 200 . Several buildings caught fire and collapsed due to the powerful blast that occurred in the congested Peepal Mandi area of Peshawar shortly after 1 pm.<br/><br/>The Meena Bazar, a market exclusively for women, bore the brunt of the blast and many of the injured and dead were women and children. Witnesses said the blast was so powerful that it could be heard across the city. Officials at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar's main healthcare facility, said they had received 43 bodies and over 100 injured people. Doctors said several of the injured are in a serious condition. The blast, heard across the city, sparked a major fire and white smoke billowed over the city. Footage on television showed two rows of shops on either side of a narrow road going up in flames and collapsing. More than a dozen shops and several cars were gutted by the fire while the blast damaged a mosque. Many of the buildings in Peepal Mandi area have shops on the ground floor and private residences on the upper storey. Witnesses said they feared many more people could be buried under the debris, even as the fire hampered rescue efforts.<br/><br/>The blast occurred hours after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad on her maiden official visit.