PESHAWAR: The death toll in Peshawar suicide attack has climbed to 62 after five more victims breathed their last while undergoing treatment at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH).
The LRH spokesperson said Mohammad Asim said that 57 bodies were brought to the hospital yesterday. He said that a total of 37 injured in the blast were being treated of which five are admitted to ICU [Intensive care Unit].
Asim said that five more injured succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment, taking the death toll to 62. Yesterday, it was reported that 57 people were martyred and more than 100 injured in a suicide blast at the Jamia Masjid during Friday prayers in Qissa Khawani Bazaar.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organisation) on its propaganda website has claimed responsibility for attacking a Shiite mosque. The attack was widely condemned and Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to clear the country from terrorism.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General (IG) Police Moazzam Jah Ansari said that a hawaldar and a constable were on duty outside the mosque. He said that the terrorists targeted the policemen and forced his entry into the mosque. He added that other policemen were present at a distance of 20-25 yards from the mosque. The IG informed that the terrorist blew himself up in the third row of the mosque. The terrorist was wearing black clothes probably to make it easier to enter the Shia mosque.
The FIR [first information report] of suicide attack at Jamia Masjid Kocha Risaldar has been registered in Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police station on the complaint of Khan Razzaq police station’s Station House Officer (SHP).
President of Awami National Party (ANP) Asfandyar Wali Khan strongly condemned the attack. He said that it is “alarming” that a new wave of unrest spread across the country, including in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The government and the state have failed to protect the citizens. If steps are not taken, the situation will get worse,” the ANP leader has warned in a statement. He added that the fresh wave of terrorism has left the people insecure. The ANP chief said, “the blasts in Quetta and Peshawar indicates a worrying situation.”