The armoured vehicle was hurled high in the sky, hit an electricity wire and banged down on the road.

The four soldiers ended up having difficulty breathing and had ringing in their ears, due to the impact and loud explosion.

Yesterday was the first day of a new academic year for most schools.

“The bomb was remotely |detonated as soon as the military vehicle reached the spot,” a policeman said.

He said the bomb could have contained 20 to 30 kilograms of explosive.

The hole on the road at the blast site was one metre deep and two metres wide.