Dozens of people have been killed in a bomb attack targeting a mosque in a security compound in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, a hospital official said.
Muhammed Asim, a spokesperson for the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, told newsmen that at least 44 people were killed and 157 others were wounded in the blast.
Siddique Khan, a police official, said the attacker blew himself up while among the worshippers.
Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander for the Pakistan Taliban , claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter. The main spokesman for the armed group was not immediately available for comment.
The mosque is located inside a highly fortified compound that includes the headquarters of the provincial police force and a counterterrorism department.
Authorities said part of the building collapsed and that many people were feared to be trapped under the rubble.
Peshawar’s Police Chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan said in a televised statement that the capacity of the main hall of the mosque was nearly 300 and it was “nearly full” at the time of the explosion.
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