Police investigating whether blast that injured at least 169 others at Friday prayers in Islamabad was suicide attack
A bomb ripped through a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and injuring at least 169 others, according to officials. Police said they were investigating whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.
There were fears the death toll from the blast at the Khadija al-Kubra mosque in Islamabad could rise as some of the injured were reported to be in critical condition. Television footage and social media images showed police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals.
Rescuers and the injured described a harrowing and chaotic scene, with bodies lying on the carpeted floor of the mosque.
Hussain Shah said he was praying in the mosque’s courtyard when a sudden, loud explosion occurred. “I immediately thought that some big attack has happened,” he said.
