Pak blast highlights: Death number in Peshawar explosion rises to 70, 150 injured

KP Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan has announced a day of mourning for the victims of Peshawar mosque attack in the province on Tuesday, reports Geo news

A notification issued by the Additional Inspector General Quarter banned the entry of guests in the Peshawar Police Lines and cautioned to take strict action against violators, reports Geo news. There are family quarters built inside the Police Lines and police is investigating if the attacker already lived in the area.

Death toll in mosque blast in Pakistan’s Peshawar has risen to 59, Reuters reported citing the Hospital.

The death toll has mounted to 48, while157 injured in Taliban suicide attack at mosque in high-security zone in Pakistan's Peshawar, reports PTI

Peshawar police said the attacker appeared to have passed through several barricades manned by security forces to get into the "Red Zone" compound that houses police and counter-terrorism offices in the volatile northwestern city, reported Reuters. 

As darkness fell, at least four men were still trapped in the wreckage, visible through cracks in the concrete, alongside bodies yet to be recovered, reports AFP.

Pakistan has been put on high alert after the blast, with checkpoints ramped up and extra security forces deployed. In capital city Islamabad, snipers were deployed at many places to strengthen security measures, reported AFP.

Police officers and security officials were targeted and accounted for 'most' deaths in the mosque blast in Pakistan's Peshawar which happened on Monday, reported Reuters. Official death toll stands at 47 even as scores of injuries are being reported amid a frantic evacuation bid.

A brother of the slain commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Umar Khalid Khurasani claimed that the suicide blast was part of the revenge attack for his brother who was killed last August in Afghanistan, reports PTI

Pakistan president Arif Alvi condemned the Peshawar mosque attack. He said that such acts of terrorism are against the teachings of Islam. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured in the attack. Patience for the heirs of Jameel for those martyred in the blast, he tweeted. 

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif has urged its party workers to donate blood to save the lives of those injured in the suicide attack. People with 'O-Negative' blood are appealed to immediately reach Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar to save the lives, he wrote on Twitter.

Pakistan cricketers on Monday condemned the blast which took place at a mosque in Pakistan's Peshawar, killing 46 people and injuring over 100. Read more

Shahid Ali, a policeman who survived, said the explosion took place seconds after the imam started prayers. “I saw black smoke rising to the sky. I ran out to save my life,” the 47-year-old told AFP.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said he and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had departed for Peshawar. “The premier will be briefed on all aspects of the blast,” he said on Twitter, adding that PM Shehbaz would also visit the injured, reports Dawn.

Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander for the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack at mosque which killed nearly 50, reports AP

Lady Reading Hospital officials said 46 people have died so far. However, the Peshawar Police has released a list of 38 victims, reports PTI

According to the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, militant violence spiked by 22% in 2022 compared with 2021, reported Bloomberg. 

"We're getting that the terrorist was standing in the first row," Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo TV, reported Reuters