A suicide attack in Pakistan has left at least 50 people dead and over 50 injured, according to local police reports.
The attack occurred near a mosque in the south-western Balochistan province, where people had gathered to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. A state of emergency has been declared in Balochistan in response to the incident. A senior police officer was killed while attempting to stop the attacker, according to Balochistan’s police chief.
A separate blast also took place at a mosque near Peshawar City in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Security forces intercepted two suicide bombers and a vehicle full of explosives at the mosque in Hangu, preventing a potentially larger tragedy.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attacks as “very heinous acts” and referred to them as “terrorist attacks.”
The number of casualties at the mosque in Hangu is yet to be confirmed, but there are concerns about people being trapped under rubble due to a collapsed roof.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far. The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, denied involvement in the Balochistan blast and strongly condemned both attacks, stating that mosques and public gatherings are not among their targets.
Earlier this month, a similar explosion occurred in the same district, injuring eleven people, including a prominent Muslim leader.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, borders Afghanistan and Iran and has been a frequent target of various armed groups, including the TTP and the Islamic State.
In July, a suicide bombing at a religious political party’s gathering in north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province resulted in over 40 fatalities.
-BBC-
