PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Two Pakistani children died and three others were wounded when a hand grenade they found on Wednesday and brought home exploded, the police said.

According to local police official Riaz Ahmad, the children found the grenade in an open area in the northwestern city of Peshawar and took it to their home. The three wounded children were said to be in critical condition at a hospital.

Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. Militants have for years had a strong presence there and the area still has leftover weapons and unexploded ordnance.

Ahmad said the police were investigating.