Pakistan News: Peshawar blast KP police say at least seven people killed, more than 100 injured

 

Pakistan News: Peshawar blast KP police say at least seven people killed, more than 100 injured

"Pakistan News" PESHAWAR A blast at a madrassa in the provincial capital Dir Colony has claimed the lives of at least seven people and injured more than 70 others. It was reported by Geo News quoting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Sanaullah Abbasi and hospital officials.

Police and rescue teams arrived at the scene and launched a rescue operation. According to Rescue 1122, the injured have been shifted to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where the condition of several is said to be critical.

"Pakistan News"  There were about a thousand children at the madrassa at the time of the blast. Most of the victims were children and instructors after the blast, which occurred during classes at a religious school. The injured included teachers and boys under the age of seven, according to AFP.

"Most of the dead and injured were hit by ball bearings and a few were badly burnt," hospital official Muhammad Asim Khan told AFP. All those killed were men between the ages of 20 and 40, he said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A bomb in a bag

KP police say a preliminary investigation revealed it was an improvised explosive device (IED) inside a bag.

"Pakistan News" Geo News correspondent Shakeel Farman Ali reported that police told him a man had gone to the madrassa and left a bag inside. Due to the number of children in the main hall, "there was not enough space for them all to stand very close inside the hall".

"Pakistan News" Seven bodies and 70 injured at the hospital after the incident, an LRH official said. At least five victims were seriously injured. Another 36 people were shifted to Naseerullah Babar Memorial Hospital.

KP Health Minister Timur Khan Jhagra has also confirmed the deaths.