The death toll rose to 56 and 194 others were wounded in a suicide attack at a Shia mosque on Friday in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, local media reported.
Mohammad Asim, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), confirmed the casualties, adding that some of the injured were in critical condition.
A powerful suicide blast ripped through a crowded mosque during the Friday congregation in Pakistan's northwestern Peshawar city in one of the deadliest attacks in the restive province, bordering Afghanistan.
A rescue official said the blast occurred at a Jamia mosque in Qissa Khwani bazaar area in Peshawar when the worshippers were offering Friday prayers.
At least 80 people have been injured, according to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister Kamran Bangash, Dawn reported.
Talking to the media, Peshawar SSP Operations Haroon Rasheed Khan said that there were two attackers but only one of them was a suicide bomber.
An emergency has been enforced in the hospital and doctors on leave were called for duties. Officials said the condition of 10 injured is stated to be critical.
Capital City Police Officer Peshawar Ijaz Ahsan said two attackers tried to enter the mosque and fired at the policemen standing guard. One policeman was killed while the other was critically injured, he said.
Meanwhile, President Arif Alvi condemned the blast and expressed grief over the precious lives lost.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has also strongly condemned the Peshawar blast while Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed sought a report of the incident from the Chief Secretary and IG of the province.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan condemned the blast and vowed to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice.
Peshawar, just 50 kilometres from the porous border with Afghanistan has been a frequent target of militants since the early 2010s. The Shiites in the region have also been targeted by the regional iteration of the ISIS group, Islamic State Khorasan (ISK).
(with sources inputs)
