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Suicide bombing inside a mosque in Pakistan kills 61 people. PHOTOS/Reuters
PESHAWAR – Member the police were among the 61 people killed and 150 injured in the explosion at a masjid inside Pakistan police headquarters, Monday (30/1/2023). Attack bom this prompted the government to put the country on high alert.
The attack took place late in the afternoon in the provincial capital Peshawar, near a former tribal area along the Afghan border. A frantic rescue mission was underway at the mosque, which had all of the walls and part of the roof blown off.
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“Many policemen are buried under the rubble,” said Peshawar Police Chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan, who estimates between 300 and 400 officers usually attend prayers at the mosque. “Efforts are being made to get them out safely,” he added.
Survivors covered in blood emerged from the wreckage, while bodies were hauled away in ambulances. “This is an emergency situation,” said Muhammad Asim Khan, spokesman for the main hospital in Peshawar.
The death toll continued to rise as more bodies were pulled from the rubble, rising to 61 people dead with more than 150 injured. As darkness fell, at least four people were still trapped in the rubble, visible through cracks in the concrete.
“We have given them oxygen so they don’t have breathing problems,” said Bilal Ahmad Faizi, spokesman for the 1122 rescue organization.
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No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, amid the deteriorating security situation in the country.
The police headquarters in Peshawar is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, housing the intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus, and is adjacent to the regional secretariat.
