A powerful blast has rocked a site of worship in northwest Pakistan
At least 30 people have been killed and dozens more wounded from gunfire and an explosion at a mosque in Peshawar in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border on Friday, the police have said.
The attack targeted the Kucha Risaldar Mosque in Peshawar’s old city at a time when Shia Muslim worshippers were gathering for Friday prayers.
Two gunmen initially opened fire at police officers outside the building, Peshawar’s Police Chief Mohammed Ejaz Khan has said.
One perpetrator and one officer were killed in the shootout, while the second attacker managed to make his way into the mosque and that’s when the blast went off, according to Khan. There were some 150 people inside, he added.
“We are in a state of emergency and the injured are being shifted to the hospital,” a local police officer told Reuters.
Investigators have been working to establish details about the incident, which “seemed to be a suicide attack,” he said.
One of the survivors recalled that he was just entering the mosque when the blast threw him back into the street. “I opened my eyes and there was dust and bodies everywhere,” he said.
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No group has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing, but both Islamic State and Pakistani Taliban have been active in the area, carrying out similar attacks.
