Suicide bombing at a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills and injures dozens
At least 56 people were killed and 194 others injured in a massive explosion that took place Friday at a Shiite mosque in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, a hospital official said.
"In total, 56 people were killed and 194 injured. Among the wounded, 50 are in critical condition," said Muhammad Asim Khan, a spokesman for Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital.
"We have declared a state of emergency in hospitals," a hospital spokesman said.
The blast occurred in the Kucha Risaldar district of Peshawar, about 190 kilometers west of the capital Islamabad, moments before the start of Friday prayers, according to witnesses.
"I saw a man shoot two policemen before he entered the mosque. Seconds later, I heard a huge explosion," said Zahid Khan.
The windows of the nearby buildings were shattered by the explosion, while rescuers were seen transporting the dead and wounded from the site.
Police and hospital officials expected a significant increase in the death toll because many of the injured are in critical conditions.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, one of the deadliest attacks in years on Pakistan's Shiite minority, which has long been targeted by militant groups including the Islamic State and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban.
"We are in an emergency situation and the injured are being taken to hospital," police officer Muhammad Sajjad Khan told Reuters.
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