At least 30 people were killed and 50 others sustained injuries in a suicide bomb blast inside a mosque in the Kocha Risaldar area in Peshawar during Friday prayers, Pakistani media reported, citing health and police officials.
According to the Pakistani Dawn newspaper, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar Ijaz Ahsan confirmed that one police official was killed while Asim Khan, media manager of Lady Reading, said that 30 bodies had been brought to the hospital so far.
The CCPO said that according to initial reports, two attackers tried to enter a mosque in the city’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar and fired at the policemen standing guard.
As a result, one policeman was killed while another was critically injured. Following the attack, a blast took place in the mosque.
Police official Waheed Khan told AP news outlet that the explosion occurred as worshippers had collected in the Kocha Risaldar mosque for Friday prayers.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.
