At least 57 people were killed and over 60 injured in suicide blasts at two mosques in Pakistan on Friday, reported Reuters.
The blasts took place when devotees were gathered to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad. No group has claimed responsibility yet.
The first attack took place near Madina Mosque on Al Falah Road in the Mastung district of Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan. It resulted in 52 deaths and 58 injuries, said district health official Abdul Rasheed.
City Station House Officer Mohammad Javed Lehri stated that the injured were shifted to a medical facility, reported PTI. An emergency has been imposed in the hospitals of the district as the situation remains chaotic.
“Around 20 of the patients who were in critical condition have been moved to Quetta for treatment,” said District Health Officer Rashid Muhammad Saeed.
Meanwhile, at least five people were killed and three injured in a second attack at a mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu city. Hangu District Police Officer Nisar Ahmed stated that around 40 people were trapped under the rubble after the mosque’s roof collapsed, reported Geo TV.
The officer said that the attack involved two explosions – one at the gate of a police station and another inside the mosque.
“Luckily one blast was at the gate so worshippers were able to exit the mosque; as a result the casualties are low,” said Fazal Akbar, the deputy commissioner of the Hangu district.
According to Reuters, terror attacks in Pakistan have surged since 2022 when a ceasefire broke down between the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella body of hardline Sunni Islamist groups.
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