More than two dozen people have been killed and more than 100 others wounded in an explosion at a mosque in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, according to officials.

A Peshawar police official told Al Jazeera at least 32 people were killed in the suspected suicide bombing and at least 147 others were injured.

he blast took place at the mosque where a large number of people had gathered for prayer, police official Sikandar Khan told Reuters news agency on Monday.

“A portion of the building had collapsed and several people are believed to be under it,” Khan added.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Peshawar’s police chief, Muhammad Ijaz Khan, later said in a statement on television said that the capacity of the main hall of the mosque is nearly 300 and it was “nearly full” at the time of the explosion.

“We cannot at the moment confirm there was a suicide attacker but we need to conduct more investigations,” he said. “However, there is a possibility of there being a suicide bomber.”

Source: Al jazeera 

BDST: 1619 HRS, JAN 30, 2023
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