PESHAWAR, Jan 31 (FD): The death toll in the Peshawar mosque blast has climbed to 95 with 221 people wounded, said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan on Tuesday.
With the latest updates, the number of causalities soared to 83, and over 157 people were injured, including 27 KP police personnel, as a suicide explosion rocked a mosque in Peshawar Police lines on Monday.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa set one day of official mourning as the heinous attack that stunned the nation.
On Monday, a suicide bomber blew himself up when worshippers gathered in the mosque for afternoon prayers. A part of the mosque was also caved in due to the intensity of the blast.
Rescue teams and security forces were dispatched to the area which is said to be near Police Secretariat in the northern city.
Videos and pictures shared by social media users show horrific scenes as injured drenched in blood were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar for first aid.
Rescue workers and ambulances had rushed to the spot. They said they shifted the casualties to the nearby Lady Reading Hospital and the Khyber Teaching Hospital along with the Hayatabad Medical Teaching Institute.
Heavy machinery was summoned to clear the debris as the fire brigade staff combed it for survivors.
Funeral prayers for martyred cops offered
The funeral prayers of 27 martyred police personnel were offered in the police lines which was attended by KP police officials and local administration members.
PM for implementation of National Action Plan with full force
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for the implementation of national action plan with full force amid an uptick in terror attacks in regions bordering Afghanistan.
Speaking during his visit to the northern city of Peshawar that witnessed a deadly attack in which nearly five dozen people were martyred while over 150 were wounded, Shehbaz condemned the attack.
Sharif, who visited Lady Reading Hospital with Army Chief Gen Asim Munir and other officials, called for a national consensus to remove the menace of terrorism in the country, reiterating that such cowardly terror attacks could not weaken the nation.
The premier assured to deal with militants and their facilitators with the strongest action for the heinous attack.