A powerful bomb blast ripped through a packed mosque in northwestern Pakistan Monday, killing at least 25 worshipers and injuring more than 120 others.
The afternoon attack in central Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was reportedly carried out by a suicide bomber.
A top security official, Deputy Commissioner Shafiullah Khan, confirmed the casualty toll to state-run television, fearing the death toll was likely to increase.
City hospital officials confirmed receiving dozens of injured and described the condition of several of them as “critical.”
Survivors and rescue workers said the roof of the building had caved in due to the massive blast.
Police officials would not immediately discuss the nature of the attack, saying an investigation was underway.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif “has condemned the suicide mosque bombing” in Peshawar, an official statement said in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.
The mosque was frequented by security and government officials.
No one immediately took responsibility for the deadly bombing.
The Pakistani province borders Afghanistan and has experienced repeated terrorist attacks in recent months. Most of the violence in the past is claimed by the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, known as the Pakistani Taliban.
