Pakistan Bomb Blast: A bomb ripped through a crowded Shia mosque during the Friday congregation in Pakistan's Peshawar left 56 dead and several injured, reports news agnecy AFP.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, news agency PTI reported.
The blast occurred at a Jamia mosque in the Qissa Khwani bazaar area in Peshawar when the worshippers were offering Friday prayers, PTI reported a rescue official as saying.
The attacker had entered the mosque before Friday prayers and "open fire with a pistol", picking out the worshippers "one-by-one", reports AFP quoting a witness, Ali Asghar.
He "then blew himself up," Asghar added, saying that the attacker was a suicide bomber.
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As per PTI, Capital City Police Officer Peshawar Ijaz Ahsan said that two attackers tried to enter the mosque and fired at the policemen standing guard.
One policeman was killed while the other was critically injured, he informed. The blast occurred following the firing incident, he added.
Pakistan Prime Minister condemned the attacks and expressed his grief for the people killed. He also directed immediate medical aid to the injured persons. "Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the Peshawar blast. Expressing sorrow over the loss of precious lives and directing immediate medical aid to the injured Requested incident report," tweeted Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office.