Pakistani police official says the death toll from a bombing that tore through a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, during Friday prayers has risen to 31.
A massive bombing ripped through a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan ‘s capital during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and wounding at least 169 others, according to officials. Police said they were investigating whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.
There were fears the death toll from the bombing at the sprawling Islamabad mosque of Khadija Al-Kubra could climb even higher as some of the wounded were reported to be in critical condition. Television footage and social media images showed police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals.
Rescuers and wounded described a harrowing scene, with bodies and wounded lying on the carpeted floor of the mosque.
Hussain Shah said he was praying in the mosque courtyard when a sudden, loud explosion occurred. “I immediately thought that some big attack has happened,” he said.
He then went into the mosque to utter chaos — many of the wounded were screaming and crying out for help. Shah said he counted around 30 bodies inside the mosque, while the number of wounded appeared to be significantly higher.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but suspicion is likely to fall on militants such as the Pakistani Taliban or the Islamic State group, which has been blamed for previous attacks on Shiite worshippers, a minority in the country.
