A deadly explosion is believed to have been caused by a suicide bombing inside a mosque in a complex with a police station and counter-terrorism office that rocked Peshawar, Pakistan Monday afternoon local time. At least 27 bodies were pulled from the rubble and about 150 people were treated for their injuries after the explosion caused part of the two-story structure to collapse during morning prayers. Many of those injured and killed were believed to be policemen who were taking part in afternoon prayers.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif did not confirm the source of the explosion, but said those behind it had “nothing to do with Islam,” he said in a statement. The statement read: “The barbaric killing of Muslims prostrating themselves before Allah is against the teachings of the Quran. “Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who fulfill their duty to protect Pakistan.”
Police said about 260 people were inside at the time of the explosion. “Part of the building has collapsed and some people are believed to be underneath,” police official Sikandar Khan said, according to local news reports.
Witnesses reported seeing injured people fleeing the scene. Police told local news agencies that many people feared being trapped under the rubble of the collapsed structure. “We have received 19 deaths and more than 90 injuries following the explosion at the Peshawar Police Line,” said Mohammad Asim, a spokesman for Lady Reading Hospital, according to Reuters. “Many others are in critical condition.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This story is evolving.
