Title: K-P observes day of mourning as Peshawar blast death toll crosses 90
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Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan on Tuesday announced a day of mourning in the province as the death toll of the Peshawar blast rose to 93.
The rescue operation following the sorrowful mosque blast in Peshawar is still underway as the debris from the mosque is being removed.
According to the Police Control Room Peshawar, more than 200 injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), out of which about 100 are under treatment and the rest have been discharged.
Read PM, COAS review security situation after Peshawar mosque blast
The bodies of those martyred in the blast have been handed over to the heirs of the deceased after identification for burial.
A day earlier, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines during the afternoon prayers, police and medics had said.
Officials had confirmed that it was a suicide attack and that the bomber was standing in the front row at the time of the explosion.
Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Ijaz Khan said the bomber detonated his load the moment hundreds of people had lined up for prayers.
The mosque is located inside a highly fortified compound in Peshawar that included the headquarters of the K-P police force and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) offices.
The attacker appeared to have passed through several barricades manned by security forces to get into the “Red Zone” compound, Khan said.
An inquiry is underway into how the attacker breached the elite security cordon and whether there was any inside help.
Following the bombing, the provincial health department declared an emergency in the Peshawar district, asking all medical personnel to remain on duty and issuing an appeal for blood donations.
Later on Monday, a funeral was held at the Peshawar Police Lines for 27 martyred policemen and young men. A smartly turned-out unit of the police force presented a salute to the martyrs as their coffins, draped in the National Flag, were led to the police ground.
The rescue operation remains underway inside the mosque as a number of people were buried under the rubble. “We can’t say how many are still under it,” K-P Governor Haji Ghulam Ali later said.
Read More 'Terrorism is indefensible': Leaders, missions condemn Peshawar attack
CCPO Ijaz also confirmed by nightfall that “a number of policemen were still stranded under the rubble and rescuers were trying to pull them out. The mosque hall was packed with up to 400 worshippers, and most of the dead were police officers,” he added.
Following the deadly blast, the provincial government announced a day of mourning today and a high alert had also been declared in the federal capital, the Islamabad Police said.
Attacker may have arrived in 'official vehicle'
Speaking to Express News, CCPO Khan said that there is a possibility that the assailant may have entered the compound in an official vehicle. "[The] CTD is investigating the case," he added.
He said that 1,500 to 2,000 personnel come and go every day as there are offices of more than eight units, including FRP, Special Security Unit (SSU), Elite Force and CTD in the Peshawar Police Lines.
"The assailant may have been already present in Police Lines," Khan said, adding that the nature of the explosion would be known after the rescue operation is completed.
The Peshawar CCPO further said that the wall of the mosque had collapsed, causing more damage. The hall was also damaged by fire after the explosion. The hall of the mosque was old while the rest had been newly built.
Published Date: 31-Jan-2023
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