A suicide bomber has struck a crowded mosque inside a police compound in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 47 people and wounding more than 150 others. Many of the injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital after a bomber reportedly detonated his suicide vest on Monday as worshipers, including many policemen, were praying inside the mosque. The number of casualties rose to 47 as some of the injured succumbed to their wounds said Mohammad Asim, a spokesperson for the hospital. The number of injured stood at over 150 and over a dozen of the injured were in critical condition, he added in a statement. Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan, who estimated between 300 and 400 officers usually attended prayers at the mosque, had earlier said many policemen were “buried under the rubble.” Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander for the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter. The main spokesman for the militant group was not immediately available for comment.
The impact of the explosion collapsed the roof of the mosque, which caved in and injured many, Zafar Khan, a Peshawar police officer, told AP news agency. Rescuers scrambled trying to remove mounds of debris from the mosque grounds and get to worshippers still trapped under the rubble, police said. Khan said several of the wounded, many of whom were police officers, were listed in critical condition at a hospital and there were fears the death toll would rise.
