Pakistani authorities reported Tuesday that 72 people have been killed and 150 wounded in a new death toll after the suicide attack perpetrated by Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as the Pakistani Taliban, inside the Police Lines mosque in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, capital of the province of Jiber Pakhtunkhwa (north).
The emergency services reported this new toll in the morning, after recovering at least a dozen bodies from the rubble of the mosque, as reported by the Pakistani television channel Geo TV.
However, the country’s authorities do not rule out that the figure could rise, due to the seriousness of some of the injured and the fact that there are still people buried under the rubble of the building.
Peshawar police chief Ejaz Jan said Monday that it is not known how many people are trapped in the rubble of the mosque, located near the main police station. «We are focused on the rescue operation,» he said.
The dead include the mosque’s imam, Sahibzada Nurulamin, according to police. The suicide bomber had stood in the front row during the midday prayer at the mosque before setting off the explosive charge he was carrying, after which the TTP released a statement on its propaganda channels claiming he was a member of the group.
The explosion occurred in the prayer hall, the main room of the mosque, which had a capacity of about 250 to 300 people. Following the attack, the provincial Health Department declared a «medical emergency» and asked all health workers to remain on alert to deal with the large number of victims.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
