A Shiite mosque in Pakistan was reportedly targeted by a suicide bombing Friday, killing 56 people and injuring over 100 more.
The Lady Reading Hospital announced that 56 people had died and 194 others were injured during the bombing at the mosque, according to Reuters. The mosque and the hospital, where most of the victims were reportedly transported, are both located in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
“I opened my eyes, and there was dust and bodies everywhere,” said Shayan Haider, a witness to the mosque explosion, according to the Associated Press.
Pakistani police say a suicide bomber has struck inside a Shiite Muslim mosque in Peshawar, killing at least 56 worshippers and wounding 194 people, many of them critically. No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. https://t.co/xLXTACb7FO
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 4, 2022
Asim Khan, a spokesman for the Peshawar hospital, said many of the victims came in critical condition, with numerous people exhibiting visible shrapnel injuries and several others missing limbs, the AP reported. (RELATED: 100 Killed Or Injured In Afghanistan Mosque Explosion)
Peshawar Police Chief Muhammed Ejaz Khan said the suicide bomber shot at police who were standing outside the Shiite mosque to protect it, killing one officer and wounding another before entering the building, according to the outlet.
Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Province top police officer Moazzam Jan Ansari said that after the bomber went inside the mosque, he detonated a device containing 12 pounds of explosives, which CCTV footage seen by the AP showed was hidden under a black shawl. Ansari blamed the high death toll on the suicide bomber packing the explosive device with ball bearings, the outlet said.
Although Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack, retired military officer Sher Ali, himself a victim of the bombing, demanded more protections for Shiites, the AP reported.
“What is our sin? What have we done? Aren’t we citizens of this country?” Ali reportedly said.
No group has taken credit for the attack at this time.